#almost added the idea that steve actually WAS pregnant

[apomaro-mellow]

Part A

Eddie had Steve pressed against the bed post as he devoured his mouth. And Steve absolutely felt like he was being consumed. It was all tongues and teeth and the way Eddie's hands with fisting around his waist, his clothes would be on the floor soon if they didn't stop. But Steve didn't want it to end either, so he let it go on for a little longer. He even let his own hands wander down, playing with the hem of Eddie's pants as if he'd let it get that far.

Then Steve turned away from the kiss, which only made Eddie press his lips to his jaw and neck.

"It's time", Steve reminded him.

"Just one more", Eddie breathed out, letting his teeth drag against his skin.

Steve didn't feel his fangs though, so it was clear he was trying to show some restraint. Still, it was clear he was intent on marking up Steve in all ways that he could. They'd already fucked this morning so he was sure he carried Eddie's scent for all creatures it mattered to. Today he wasn't wearing the blue he had arrived in but in clothes that were more on Eddie's brand, decked out in black and silver.

And now he was going to have bite marks.

"You could just piss on my leg for how subtle you're being. Or get me round with child. Maybe they'll get the idea then."

"Don't tempt me, precious", Eddie grinned. "One deal, one spell and you'll be carrying my spawn." He tried not to show how much the idea thrilled him but perhaps he revealed his hand, letting his fingers press against Steve's belly.

Steve rolled his eyes but he loved it. He loved how much Eddie wanted him and needed the world to know he was spoken for in all the ways that mattered.

They untangled long enough to leave their room and go outside to say their goodbyes while the last of his things were loaded into the carriage.

"I'll be back before you know it", Steve said while Eddie was endlessly kissing his hand.

"Do you plan on sneaking back inside? Because that's the only way you'll be back before I know it. I'm going to be watching the road, darling."

Steve felt like his heart might burst. "You do remember you have a kingdom to run, don't you?"

"What? This old place?", Eddie gestured to the towering castle.

"If I hear you're ignoring your duties while I'm gone, I'm leaving you for Gareth."

"But ignoring my duties is completely fine when I'm doing it with you?"

"Well I'm more important", Steve smiled. "You said so yourself."

"Stronger than all my armies combined", Eddie nodded. "More beautiful than the crystal caves. Resourceful and witty beyond compare." With each declaration he pulled Steve somehow even closer until he was whispering only to him. "And a body that was made to be loved and fucked by me."

Then they were kissing again and Steve couldn't remember why he was leaving again. Someone was clearing their throat and this time Eddie was the responsible one who pulled away.

"The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back."

Steve nodded and finally began to move away from him. He backed away, eyes never leaving Eddie even as he walked backward into the carriage's side. He scooted until he found the footman's hand and lifted into the carriage, still looking at his love.

"Why doesn't this thing have a back window?", Steve mused to himself as the carriage departed, taking him away from Eddie.

Eddie wasn't faring much better, standing on the steps as Steve started off for his old kingdom. He was returning for the shortest amount of time possible to officially renounce his claim to the throne. Word had already spread that the queen was with child and they didn't want anything in the way of their future ascension.

Steve had already put his parents behind him. To get it on paper seemed rather tedious, especially since the document could have been sent to acquire his signature. But perhaps it was his father tugging the leash one last time before he completely disowned his first born.

While riding in the carriage, Steve kept himself occupied with daydreams. Maybe he would find a way to sneak back home and surprise Eddie. Instead of Eddie welcoming him, it could be the other way around. Steve would already be in bed, opening himself up for Eddie to slide right in....

The jolt of a sudden stop brought Steve out of his thoughts. They'd been traveling for a few hours, so a resting stop made sense, but why so suddenly. He waited for either the driver to report something, or continue. When neither happened, he shifted the curtain open slightly to get a peek.

Highwaymen. Of course.

They made him get out and while they did, he assessed the situation. One had a knife on him while the other searched the carriage for valuables. Steve stood with his hands up while it happened. He could take two. Once he got the knife it would be easy. Especially if the driver got off his ass to help.

Seeing an opening, Steve took it and went on the offensive, wrestling the knife away and twisting an arm behind their back, point to their throat now.

Before he could make any demands, an arrow grazed his arm. Enough to cut and be annoying bloody but not much else. That it until he felt a strange burning in the cut. He should've suspected they might have an archer. And if he did, he would've suspected the poison arrows. He felt his body get heavy before falling to the ground.

"We're about to come into a lot of money, boys."

Steve's last thought before blacking out was that he should've just sent his parents a letter.

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

When he came to, he found that he was in a very nice sitting room. The chair he was placed upon had a very nice cushion. It was only the rope around his arms and the fact he didn't know where he was the soured the luxury of it.

"The king's little pet, in my humble abode. Who would have thought." A voice sounded from behind Steve and came around to sit in the chair across from him.

Steve tested his restraints. "How did I get here?"

"Some petty thieves got lucky. Thought you were the average noble. But it is very clear just looking at you-" He stood and nudged Steve's jaw, showing more of his neck and the bite marks there. Steve squirmed out of his hold. "-belong to King Edward. So they sold you to me. And if you really are His Majesty's favorite, he'll pay a handsome price for you."

He sat back in his chair and Steve looked at him like he was an idiot. This buffoon was going to try and ransom a king. A king! The only reason Eddie's own similar gambit didn't work was because Steve's father cared little. If anyone tried this with Eddie, he would have them publicly executed. If not, tortured, then executed.

Once again, Steve looked around with his eyes and weighed his options. A middle aged man amid opulent furniture. A lord of some kind. But not a very smart one. Still, he was bound to have some men on the property acting as guards. People who would capture him if he got loose.

He could let the ransom happen. Eddie would move the earth (literally) to get to him. This whole place would be covered in blood and fire.

Then again, Steve could save Eddie the trip.

"You don't think I'll escape?", he asked. "You didn't even tie my legs down." He kicked them lightly to illustrate his point.

"I'm not a brute. And you're royalty, you know how this goes. Be a good boy and you'll be back with your master in no time. And I'll be all the more richer for it."

"Well that sounds really, really boring", Steve said, slouching a little. "Couldn't we find so~me way to entertain ourselves in the meantime?" He let the tip of his boot nudge the other man's foot.

It got him a smirk in return, but not quite for the reason he wanted.

"I know better than to lie with the devil's plaything." He stood and leaned over Steve. "Your tricks won't work on m-uuNK!"

A grunt, a whimper, a whine from Steve boot hitting him squarely in the groin.

"I have more than one trick."

He got to his feet and with just a bit of shimmying, was able to get the ropes off. They really didn't think much of him at all. Or Eddie for that matter. He went to a window first only to find that it was too dark to try and scale the wall, especially on an unfamiliar building.

Out the front door it is.

Dispatching the first guard wasn't easy with only a rope in hand to suffocate him with but Steve was able to get a sword off him. After that it was child's play. Steve had two advantages: one, if they wanted Eddie's money then they had to keep him alive. And two, somehow even with blood splattered on him, they were still treating him like an untrained child.

It was only the last one (was it the 8th or the 9th?) that truly took him seriously and made Steve work for his escape. And he did manage a few slashes across his chest before falling upon Steve's sword.

By the time he made it back to Eddie's castle on a horse stolen by his captors, he was exhausted. The gates were opened to him but not without confusion.

Word traveled ahead at his return and Eddie practically materialized at the bottom of the stairs to meet him. He could smell that most of the blood on Steve wasn't his but that didn't make him any happier.

Eddie cupped his face. "Who did this to you?"

"Didn't get his name before kicking him in the balls."

"That would make this the second time you've been kidnapped in less than a year, gorgeous."

"I'm just a magnet for dangerous men, I guess", Steve shrugged. "Now carry me to the bath."

Eddie picked him up with ease and started up the stairs. "You've denied me the right of defending your honor AND releasing my righteous fury, you know that, right?" Eddie already knew the people responsible were more than likely dead.

Steve grinned as he drew circles on Eddie's chest. "Guess you'll have to put that energy elsewhere. Any ideas?"

Part C

[abbatoirablaze]

Deal With The Devil, Chapter 8

Word Count:  1.6k

Warnings:  sexual conversations, mentions of std testing, mentions of cheating. 

“So…what are we here for today?�� the doc asked with a smile as he looked over the chart.  He offered Steve and Inez a reassuring smile, but all it really did was make the mafia boss nervous.

He didn’t want to be there.

He’d wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

But it was what Inez had wanted. 

And what he’d agreed to.

“We’re here so that me and my fiancé can get tested!” Steve smiled as he looked at Inez.   

She frowned as she looked at him, her brow lifting, “excuse me?”

“We’re both getting tested, honey,” Steve said as though he was reminding her.  He lovingly placed his hand on her thigh, “this is what you wanted to do.  Remember?”

“No, I wanted you to get tested, Steve,” she growled, “that was the point of the visit today.  You.”

“Actually, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers-“

“Stark…we’re not married yet!”

“Miss Stark, it’s actually good for partners to come in and get tested together,” the doctor offered, “especially when you’re sexually active and-“

“We’re not!” she said quickly, cutting him off, “Steve just has an issue where he likes to stick his dick in any hole that he can…the last one being five strippers at his bachelor party…right honey?”

“I think the doc has a point, sweetie,” Steve mocked her, “you know…I’m getting tested.  I’m sure that you’ve been safe in the past, but I would feel a lot better if you were tested as well.  That way we know that both of us are going into this…clean.”

“Steve…”

The way that she said his name had him looking at her a little closer. 

She looked visibly uncomfortable.

“This was your idea, Inez!” he pointed out.

“I know, I just-“

“Miss Stark, if I may,” the doctor added, “even while using protection, it’s not a hundred percent effective.  As long as you are sexually active, just the act of oral stimulation could-“

“I’ve never done anything sexually!” she admitted, cutting the doctor off, “the most I’ve ever done was kiss a man, okay?  I’ve never had sex.  Never given a guy a blowjob or handjob.  I’ve never done any of that, so can we just drop the subject when it comes to me and get Steve tested already?  There’s no way that I could have a sexually transmitted disease!”

Steve was gaping at her. 

“Bunny…you’ve never-I mean-but-but you’re so fucking gorgeous,” Steve stuttered as he looked at his fiancé with a fresh pair of eyes, “how have you never done anything?”

“I-I never even had a boyfriend before you!” she admitted, “Being Tony’s little sister didn’t make trying to have a dating life any easier.”

“D-does she even need to be tested then?” Steve asked out of sheer amazement, his eyes never leaving Inez, “I-I mean…if she-if she’s never-uh…”

She wrapped her arms around herself, clearly even more uncomfortable with her own admission.  There was a very pregnant pause before he shook his head, muttering a soft ‘no.’

“Mr. Rogers, if you’d like to disrobe, your fiancé can wait out in the lobby,” the doctor offered softly, “we can get the samples ready for testing, and then have you two out of here fairly quickly.”

“A-and uh-the results?” Inez asked quietly, still refusing to look at Steve or the doctor, “W-when would they come back?”

“Shouldn’t take more than a few days,” he shrugged, “just-refrain from any sexual activities…and you shouldn’t have any iss-“

“Great!  I’ll be in the waiting room.” she muttered, quickly leaving the room before the doctor could even finish his statement.

It had been a few hours after they’d left the doctors. 

And Steve was still shell-shocked to learn about his fiancé’s lack of a sexual history. 

After the way that she’d acted with him, how she’d straddled him in the morning and teased him, he’d expected her to have a list almost as long as his. 

She’d just seemed so sure. 

So confident.

But she was an innocent little thing. 

“Steve!” Steve shook his head, kicking himself out of his own thoughts about what his fiancé may or may not know, all to look at Sam.  He’d thrown a punch at his boss’ arm, “come on, Steve.  Keep your head in the game.”

“You should be focused,” Bucky pointed out from the apron of the ring, “you’re supposed to be boxing Sam and instead your head is in the clouds.”

“I just-there’s some things going on with Inez.”

“Ahhh, the old ball and chain making things tough on you?” Sam teased, “thought she’d cave when you two went to get tested.  Especially after how the two of you were this morning.  She looked like she’d help you get your cardio in for the day, if you know what I’m saying.”

“She-she actually didn’t get tested,” Steve admitted slowly, “I uh-found out something about her.”

“Girl’s got stuff, don’t she?” Sam chuckled, “man, should have known with someone like her…that morning when we walked in and saw you two getting hot and heavy-“

“She’s a virgin,” Steve growled, cutting off his number two, “don’t talk about my wife like that, Sam…Inez-she’s never even so much as had a relationship, let alone had sex…she said before me she’d only ever kissed a guy before.”

“A guy?” Bucky asked, suddenly interested in the conversation, “not guys?”

Steve shook his head, “she only said ‘a’ so I’m assuming she meant one.”

“Shit…” Bucky cursed, suddenly lost in his own thoughts as he thought about how he’d been ‘that guy,’ to Inez. 

“I-I don’t know how I feel about it!” Steve admitted, turning his attention towards Sam, “I thought that she’d be experienced.  That-“

“That you wouldn’t feel guilty about cheating on her?” Sam asked, cutting his friend off. 

Steve sighed heavily, “I don’t know…”

“You got feelings for the girl, don’t you?”

Steve nodded, “she’s fucking crazy…but damn, I think I’m in love with her Sam, even though we don't know each other.  She’s headstrong and confident, despite not being experienced.  She’s funny…and she puts me in my place…hell, even after she pulled a gun on me and gave me that cut on my brow…I jus-“

“Wait, this crazy bitch pulled a gun on you?” he asked, eyes bulging out of his head, “I thought that cut probably happened while you were going at it with the strippers.  Y-“

“Hey…that crazy bitch is going to be my wife!” he reminded him, “watch your tone, Sam.”

Sam chuckled, shaking his head a little more at Steve, “sure know how to pick em, boss…right Buck?”

“We’re not friends, Wilson.  Don’t call me that.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “you’re my god damned brother-in-law, Buck.”

“You wanna stay that way and above ground you’ll call me Bucky or Barnes!”

“Tell that to your sister,” Sam laughed, “sure she’d kick your ass for that comment.”

Bucky snarled at his brother-in-law but said nothing to him. 

“Is it bad that I’m worried about her calling off the wedding?” Steve asked suddenly, “like I’m genuinely nervous…I mean, I shouldn’t be nervous.  Right?”

“Why would she call off the wedding?” Sam asked.

“She told me if I caught something from one of the strippers she would,” he shrugged, “and I don’t think that Tony would be mad if she did, especially if she told him about the strippers.  And, I don’t want to lose her before this whole thing even starts.”

“Steve…if those strippers gave you something, I feel like Inez would kill you and then them,” Sam laughed, “she wouldn’t call off the wedding.  She’d just kill you and claim your territory for her brother or something.”

“You know…I want to say your joking and take it as such, but that’s a real concern, Sam.”

“You think your wife’s gonna kill you?”

“If I have something?” Steve asked, “Yes.  Without a doubt.  You should have heard her talking about it when the doctor asked why we were visiting.  It sounded like she was pissed.”

“She was,” Bucky said gently, “you walked into the house with those whore surrounding you.  You didn’t even notice her on the stairs, about to go up to bed.  You ignored your fiancé and went to bed with five women.”

“Shit…” Steve frowned, “sh-she saw me come in?”

“Yeah,” Bucky admitted, leaving out a few of the more ‘obvious’ details, like how he was kissing her before Steve walked in, “she saw you with them, Steve.  If I had a fiancé walk in with five partners all over them, and they took them up to bed I’d be devastated…”

“Sam?” Steve asked, “a little help here?”

“You’re on your own with that,” he chuckled, “if Winnie saw me coming home with women, she’d murder me and them the second I set foot in the house.”

“Come on, Sam.”

“She’d be devastated, Steve,” Sam said truthfully, “me and her have an understanding.  A relationship that we built up over the years of you protecting her family when you had Buck move em here.  Winnie would feel like the most useless woman in the world if I even thought of bringing home another woman and sleeping with her, but that’s our dynamic.  She knows that I love her.  And she loves me…it was tough at first, but we grew into that.  If I cheated on her, I think both of us wouldn’t be able to rebuild that trust.  If I were you, I’d be worried about that…not her murdering you if you caught something.  You insulted her womanhood by bringing home five women…”

“You think she’s really upset about it?” Steve asked.

“What would you think, Steve?” Bucky asked his friend, “what would you think if your fiancé cheated on you?”

“I’d kill the man that touched her…” he growled.

Chapter 9

Tag List:  @teambarnes72, @prokey16, @lohnes16

[holdmytesseract]

A Fresh Page 》 The Baby Fever AU

Loki Laufeyson x fem!Reader

Summary: Fullfilling Ella's wish turns out to be more difficult than anticipated...

Warnings: angst, fluff, suggestive smut, pregnancy things

Word Count: 4,6k

a/n: Happy New Year, guys! 🥳🍾 What better way to start into 2023, than with a whole new chapter of the Baby Fever AU?! 😍🥳

Big shoutout to @aagn360 for giving me some wonderful ideas for this oneshot! ☺️🥰 I hope you guys love it as much as I do! 😁🧡

Also, I'm very relieved and happy to be back, even if it was just for a short amount of time... ☺️🙈

Tagging: @lokisgoodgirl @lovingchoices14 @evelyn-kingsley @jennyggggrrr @acefeather2002 @lulubelle814 @vbecker10 @theaudacitytowrite @lady-rose-moon @aagn360 @fictive-sl0th @mostclevermiss @linaax @peaches1958 @simping-for-marvel

MASTERLIST °☆• BABY FEVER MASTERLIST

Adding another baby to your family was harder than you anticipated - that much you knew and learned. What sometimes happened within the blink of an eye, on a drunk one-night-stand or the mistake to use no protection - hence, even a broken condom or one forgotten pill could be fatal. Well, not to you, as it seemed.

Ella had been a planned child and everything went super smooth. Within weeks you had found yourself being pregnant. Being the sassy God Loki was, he blamed it on his superior biology of course; boosting his ego. Now, barely six years later, Loki's superior biology seemed to lost its 'super power' - or well, parts of your body seemed to lost its function. Almost a year had passed by now since you and Loki started the mission of giving Ella a sibling, but nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. Every pregnancy test you took, came back negative. With the time passing, Ella got impatient, didn't understand what took her parents so long. "Things like this just take time, sometimes, sweetie." You'd always tell her and try to tame her curiosity and impatience. Needless to say, neither you or Loki understood what exactly was wrong. You were both fine, got thoroughly checked by the best Asgardian doctors. Fate just didn't want it to happen, as it seemed. This all started to take its toll on you. With every negative pregnancy test, you blamed yourself more and more for it - despite the fact that you knew, that it wasn't actually your fault. Loki tried to reassure you and be supportive as best as he could, but it was a disappointment for you nevertheless. That was exactly the situation you were currently facing - again, for the hundredth time.

You stared at the little stick in your hands. Negative. Again. With a sigh, you closed your eyes, trying to prevent the tears from falling. You didn't know why you were still taking tests... It was always the same result. Pinching the bridge of your nose, you inhaled deeply, tried desperately to keep yourself together - but it just wasn't possible. The result weighed you down; the feeling of failure kicking in once again. The tears started to fall in waterfalls, running unbridled down your face. And suddenly was all you wanted to do, shut yourself off; away from the world and sink down this deep dark whole you got sucked into. Not caring about the pregnancy test, which clattered to the bathroom floor, you stormed out of the room, straight into direction bedroom. Burying yourself underneath layers and layers of pillows and blankets, you laid there, crying and crying for hours on no end. You didn't even notice how the main door to your apartment got opened...

Unbeknownst to you, had Loki just returned from an utterly boring meeting. Steve had insisted to discuss that mission this evening and not wait until tomorrow morning - much to Loki's dismay. He actually wanted to spend a nice evening with you today, since Ella was at Thor's for a sleepover with Eisa, but well... Rogers thwarted the God's plans. Closing the main door behind him, green seidr enveloped his body immediately, changing him from a black suit into something casual. Loose grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. "Y/N?" Loki shouted through the apartment. "Darling, I'm back!" He received no answer. Quirking an eyebrow, he made his way into the living room first, to check if you were there. Nothing. He checked a few other rooms too, noticing that every light was off. The God was already about to just call you, when he entered the bathroom, switching on the light and seeing a little plastic stick laying on the ground. Frowning, he bend down to pick it up - only to realise that it was a pregnancy test. A negative pregnancy test. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and suddenly he had a very bad feeling about this. "Oh no..." Loki mumbled, before he made his way out of the bathroom and straight towards the bedroom.

Cautiously, he stepped inside the spacious room, turning on the lights - but immediately dimming them down. "Y/N?" No answer. His eyes landed on the big pile of blankets and pillows, literally stacked up in the middle of the bed. There was absolutely no mistaking, that you were hiding somewhere in that bundle. The God sighed once again, eyebrows knitted together with sadness.

Slowly he approached the bed. "Y/N, darling... I know what happened..." He started in a soft voice, removing the first 'layer' from the pile. "I-I saw it..." Another layer. "I'm so sorry, my love." And another layer. "I know this is absolutely torturous..." A few pillows. "And not at all fair - not in the slightest." The thick, woollen blanket was the last thing left covering you. Loki would probably never understand how you were still able to breath underneath all those pillows and blankets - and in another situation, he would've laughed about your sweet, childish behaviour to hide underneath cloth, but not in that situation. Absolutely not. Loki wanted to gently pull the blanket away from your body - which was rolled up into a ball, but you only pulled the blanket tighter around you, not intending to let go. All he could hear from you, were the soft whines and whimpers - and his heart shattered for you, started to bleed. The God knew how much this all hurt you mentally, but it never had been that bad before. Yes, it wasn't the first time he found you curled up in a ball of blankets and pillows, but you never refused to be 'found' before. Loki's heart ached, seeing you like that.

Instead of trying to just pull the woollen blanket away, he decided to leave your 'shell' around you and tried to comfort you, until you decided to come out on your own. "It's hard and not easy, I know, but please..." He placed a hand on your back (He assumed it was your back.) and moved it in a circle, trying to reassure you and give you a comfortable feeling. "Please don't shut yourself out. I'm here for you. You don't have to fight this battle on your own. I am right here with you." Still no answer, only a few more sobs. Loki sighed once again, on the verge of despair. One last try, he thought. He stood up again, rounded the bed and crawled inside on the other side, so that he was facing your back now. The God slid closer and wrapped his arm around you, followed by his chest hitting your back gently, spooning you. "Please, my love, my darling, my queen... Don't carry this burden alone." The God whispered. His deep, soothing voice, combined with the way he held you seemed to break down the walls you had built up around you. In a quick movement, you threw the blanket aside and turned around in your husband's embrace, before you literally threw yourself in his awaiting arms, clinging to him like a monkey to a tree. There was no holding back now. The tears started to fall from your eyes rapidly, wetting Loki's t-shirt as you cried and sobbed in his warm embrace. "There you go, darling." He said in a gentle tone, kissing your head. "Let it all out. I'm here." That was exactly what you did. You cried and cried, while Loki just held you and tried to comfort you.

"I-I'm so sorry..." You whispered after you had calmed down again. The God immediately shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Y/N. Nothing." He felt you nod against his chest. "I-I am... I am an emotional wreck." "So? That's no reason to apologise." You scoffed softly, burying your head further into his chest, snuggling even closer. "Thank you for... you know." A soft smile darted over the God's face. "Now that sounds better, my love. Much wiser words coming from that sweet mouth, than unnecessary apologies." You scoffed again, hitting his side slightly. You weren't able to hide the small smile on your face at your husband's cockiness, but you quickly slipped back into seriousness. "I-I, uh, think I must be doing something wrong..." You mumbled sadly, referring of course to the negative test. Loki shook immediately his head and looked down at you with pure love and adoration. "Absolutely not." "It's the only way to explain this, Lokes... I-" "No, darling, stop that, please. It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself. If there is someone to blame, then obviously me, because I do seem to have a very bad aim." You frowned. "Babe... That's quite a bit ridiculous. How can you claim to have a bad aim, when you can't miss." He shrugged his shoulders. "Why do you, my love, claim that it is your fault, when there's absolutely nothing you can change, because you already do everything possible?" Damn, you thought. He had a point there. Loki was right - and he could see it on your face. "See, darling?" The God said, slightly amused, before he squeezed you gently. "Sometimes these things take time - Thor told me that, too. It's going to happen someday." You nodded against his chest. "Jane told me that, too. Said we should stop worrying and not stress ourselves. She even said I should stop taking tests and just... leave it be." Loki nodded in agreement. "We should stop thinking about it too much." And that was exactly what you did. Well, at least you tried. It wasn't easy sometimes, since you had that itch to just think about it, but in those situations, you were glad Loki was there. He helped you to take your mind off things - and this new strategy seemed to pay off two months later...

You stood in Loki's and your bedroom, getting ready to go on a small shopping trip with Nat. Just as you turned around to reach for your purse and mobile, you suddenly felt from one moment to the other incredibly sick. Your stomach churned, twisted in knots, causing you to throw your things on the bed and storm off towards the bathroom, destination toilet. Luckily, you reached it just in time... You literally threw yourself on the tiled floor and hung now over the bowl, throwing up the delicious vegetable pan you had for lunch. And just like that was the nausea gone again. You felt better. Frowning, you wiped your mouth and washed your hands. What in all the nine realms was- ohhhh... Suddenly realisation hit you, eyes widening. Could it really be? You jumped up and quickly digged up the abandoned pregnancy tests. You more or less yanked the little package open, took the test with shaking hands and waited impatiently for the result to show, pacing up and down the bathroom. You prayed, hoped, that your assumption was right and that it had finally, finally worked out for you and Loki to create a new life after months and months of trying and endless frustration after all the negative tests. "Y/N? Are you ready to go?" You suddenly heard Natasha's voice echoing down the hallway. "Y-Yes, just give me 5 minutes!" "Alright!"

It seemed like those five minutes were refusing to just pass by... It took eternity. After probably another minute or so, you lost your patience and just wanted to see the result. So, you took the little plastic stick clumsily in your hands - and turned it around with full anticipation. Your heart almost stopped at what your eyes saw. Two lines. Two. Lines. Two! That meant... You needed to take a deep breath. Pregnant… You were pregnant! Loki's, your - and especially Ella's wish for another baby had been finally granted! You couldn't help yourself but to let out an excited, rather loud squeak. You jumped up and down, feeling deliriously happy, as a sudden knock on the door interrupted your little private party. "Y/N? Is everything alright?" Natasha. The sheer boundless happiness inside of you took over your system. You had the urge to tell it somebody, scream it out aloud. After all, you were anyway not able to hide your giddiness in front of your best friend. So, you literally ripped open the door and smiled broadly at the visibly confused Black Widow. "Oh Nat, I am more than alright! Perfect! Absolutely fine! Tickety-boo!" Okay... The endorphins were running wild inside your body... "O-Okay... That's, um, great, wonderful..." The woman opposite you was visibly completely confused - especially by your strange choice of words, but your smile even widened. You answered nothing, just held the positive pregnancy test in front of Natasha's face. Her eyes widened as well. "What??? You're... You're pregnant?!" You nodded fastly, literally beaming at your best friend by now. "Oh my! Sweetie, that's amazing!" She pulled you in a big, bone crushing hug. You hugged her back of course, looping your arms around her. "That's wonderful, really. I'm happy for you and Loki - but, don't rush it. Remember, that's 'just' a test, sweetie. Get that checked by a professional, so you can be really sure. I can ask Bruce to do it, if you want." You nodded against her neck. "Thank you so much, Nat; and yeah, I know. I will get this checked as soon as possible, but not by Bruce. Don't take this the wrong way, but Bruce is terrible at keeping secrets. Almost as terrible as Thor and Peter." Your best friend snorted out a laugh at your words. "Yes, I know. You're right. Bruce is probably not the right person for this." After sharing another laugh with Nat, you wiped away a few stray happy tears and went together with the red-haired spy on the planned shopping trip - on which you bought something to surprise little Ella...

Only two days later - after the pregnancy got confirmed by a professional (not Bruce, though), you decided it was time to surprise your daughter.

"Ella?" You addressed the girl, who laid on the soft rug in the living room, colouring. Loki was - as chance would have it, on a mission for a few days in California, so you had Ella all for yourself. "Yes, mommy?" She lifted her head, causing some raven locks to fall into her face. "I've got a surprise for you, sweetheart." Her eyes widened. "A surprise?" You nodded, "Uh.Huh." and brought a wrapped box out from behind your back. "Want to open it?" A smile spread on your face, as you witnessed how the little girl literally jumped up and excitedly ran towards you. "Yes, yes, yes!" You handed your gift over to Ella and watched how she smiled up at you brightly. "Thanks, mommy." "Of course, baby, now open it." Were you more excited than Ella about all this? Probably. She giggled at sat down on the floor, ripping her present open. Her oceanic blue orbs widened once again. "A new doll?" She asked, pure happiness lacing her voice, eyes shining. You nodded. "Yep. Do you like it?" "Yes!" Ella squealed and went immediately to unpack the doll. "But why are you giving me a new doll? It's not my birthday or Christmas." That was it. That was the moment you had waited for. For the curious nature of your daughter to kick in. A sweet smile graced your lips, as you squatted down in front of her, to be on eye-level with her, taking both her small hands in your bigger ones. "Well, you have to practice for your baby sibling, right?" For the third time, you witnessed Ella's eyes widen. "My baby sibling? Does that mean I am finally going to get one?!" You nodded. "Yes, princess. You are going to be a big sister soon." A high-pitched squeal left her lips, as she giggled excitedly - and before you knew it, Ella had thrown herself in your arms, hugging you with her smaller body as tight as possible. "Thank you, mommy! Thank you so much!" You just pulled her closer, burying your face in her hair. Seeing your daughter so happy, caused your heart to slosh over with love and happiness as well. "I have to thank daddy as well!" Ella suddenly exclaimed. "Can I call him?!" A small giggle left your lips, as you shook your head. "I'm afraid you can't, baby, 'cause daddy doesn't know yet." Ella's face scrunched up. "What do you mean he doesn't know yet?" "I haven't told daddy yet about your baby brother or sister." You explained, tugging a loose curl back behind her ear. "Ohhh..." Ella understood, of course. "Why didn't you tell daddy yet?" You began to smile again. "Because I wanted to surprise him together with you. Would you like to do that?" Her eyes started to shine once again. "Yes! I want to surprise daddy!" "Perfect. Then what do you think of this idea..." You leaned forward to whisper the idea you had in mind into her ear - and she was absolutely enthusiastic about it.

From that day on, Ella couldn't wait for her father to come home from the mission, wanting to surprise him so badly. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. Only a day later, the God returned from the small mission in California...

You and Ella weren't at home, when Loki returned - what he anticipated, because a look on the watch told him, that it was time to pick Ella up from the kindergarten, and that was exactly what you did.

He slipped out of his black boots and placed them neatly beside the main door. With a snap of his fingers, Loki was completely naked; his armour melting off his body. He made his way in all his glory to the bathroom, straight into the shower. Even before he was finished, you returned home with Ella. Noticing immediately that your husband was back, you and the little girl put your plan to surprise him into action. "Daddy's home, Ella, let's go." She nodded and giggled all the while, happy to be the centrepiece of your proposition. Sending Ella into her room to 'play', in order to stick to the plan, you went to the bathroom. Okay, actually you couldn't wait to see Loki and finally have your hands all over him again. With your heart beating rapidly against your ribcage in happiness and excitement, you quietly opened the door and stepped inside.

Loki had his back towards you and stood in front of the sink. The scent of his shower gel and cologne wafted through the air. Home... It smelled like home. The only thing he wore, was a towel, which was wrapped loosely around his hips; his broad, muscular shoulders and back on full display. Your mouth almost started to water at that sight. Was it because he was away for a few days, or - Jesus, were your hormones starting to kick in already? You quickly shook your head, in order to get rid of your quite... sinful thoughts. This isn't about sex now, you reminded yourself. It seemed like he hadn't noticed you, so you sneaked up on him and placed your hands on his sides, before letting them glide over his smooth skin, before they came to rest on his abs. Loki flinched slightly at the sudden, surprising contact, but relaxed immediately, when you pressed your lips on his left shoulder blade, trailing kisses over his back. Loki hummed in appreciation, "Hello, darling." before he turned in your embrace and pressed your body against his still damp chest. Not wasting a second, you pulled him into a passionate, intoxicating kiss; burying your hands in his wet hair, tugging gently. Well, that was actually exactly the thing you wanted to prevent from happening now, but you just couldn't help yourself. Loki was simply irresistible.

Pulling away from him, in order to catch your breath, you immediately noticed the smug smirk on your husband's face and how his blue eyes were hooded with desire. "Mhhh, I'm happy to see you too, my queen." To underline his words, he let his hands wander lower, until they were planted on your ass and bucked his hips, letting them clash into yours. You groaned softly. Yes, he was noticeably happy to see you. It sent a fresh wave of arousal down your spine and so slowly, you feared that you maybe were about to lose focus again. It absolutely didn't help that Loki had lowered his head by now, kissing and nipping down your neck. What was it you wanted to do? Luckily, the God's next words reminded you of your mission and brought you down to reality, causing you to try to get a grip again. "Where's Ella?" "I-In her r-room, I-" You had to cut off your own sentence, as Loki's hand was brushing suddenly the inside of your thighs. "Good. Don't want her to walk in on us..." He said, winking at you, before he dipped his head; lips ghosting over your cleavage. You felt how the willpower to stop this and escape his deadly kisses and touches left you so slowly. Your brain started to go foggy; clouded by lust. When your husband's hand travelled down your chest and brushed your stomach, the clear-headed, reasonable and still present part of your brain reminded you once again of the task ahead. You couldn't just let Ella wait in her room - not even for a quick round. You knew that she would come to look after you, so you did what you had to do and took a step back, slowly getting out of Loki's grasp. "Baby... We can't. Not now." The God looked at you incredulously, blinking, before he almost started to pout. "Why not, my darling wife? I've been away for days, separated from you... I've lusted for your touch day and night; to feel your beautiful body underneath my fingertips again - and now you deny me to quench my thirst?" You almost gave in right then and there at his words, but you beat yourself to stay strong. "I know, Lokes..." You started, wrapping your hands loosely back around his waist. "I've longed for you, too, but Ella has a surprise for you - a surprise that cannot wait..." Loki blinked, before the right corner of his lips curled up into a half smile. "My princess got a surprise for me?" You nodded. "Uh.Huh. I'll go get her - and you put on some clothes. Although, it saddens me to see my incredibly sexy man dressed, but... Tonight I'm all yours, I promise." He smiled even more, the smugness on his face clearly visible. "Alright, my love. I think that is a compromise I am willing to accept." With a last lingering kiss, Loki finally let you go, in order to get Ella...

The little girl waited impatiently for her dad to step out of the bathroom - and when he did, there was no holding back. "Daddy!" She stormed towards him - straight into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Hello, my sweet girl." Loki chuckled, kissing her cheek. "I have a surprise for you!" She excitedly squeaked, unable to hold back a minute longer. "Mommy told me so." Loki said, as she let her down again. "What is it?" "Mommy got me a new t-shirt!" "Ohh, a new t-shirt?" Ella nodded, "Uh.Huh. Look!" and slipped the sweatshirt - which had covered purposefully the t-shirt she wore underneath, over her head. The smile on Loki's face was still present - due to the excitement of his daughter, but when his eyes landed on the new item of clothing, the smile immediately faded, turned into shock and surprise. On the little girl's pink t-shirt stood printed in big letters 'I Am Going To Be A Big Sister!', alongside two elephants - one smaller, the other bigger. Loki's jaw dropped. He was visibly overwhelmed. "Y-You're going to be a big s-sister?" Ella nodded excitedly, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Uh.Huh!" "W-Wow, that's... That's incredible, I-" Before Loki could even finish his sentence, Ella was back in his arms, squeezing him with everything she got. "Thank you, daddy, for giving me a baby sibling!" A light-hearted giggle escaped the God's lips. "Of course, princess. I promised you I would make sure of it, didn't I?" "Yep!" Ella placed a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek. You watched the scenes from where you leaned against the wall, arms crossed over your chest, wiping away a few stray tears. This moment was just so utterly precious. You feared that your heart was going to explode from all the love. "Mommy also gifted me a new doll to practice for my brother or sister..." "Really? Now that's amazing, isn't it?" The small girl nodded, beaming at her father. "Can I show you?" Loki nodded, smiling broadly as well. "Of course, sweetheart. Go already ahead. I'll be right behind you. Just let me talk to your mother for a minute." "Okay!" She kissed his cheek again, before she stormed off, but not without giving you a hug on her way as well.

Now it was just you and Loki. His oceanic blue eyes were looking at you, filled with tears. "My love..." He started, shaking his head. "Is this true? Are you pregnant?" You just nodded, unable to form words, as the tears started to stream down your face as well. An audible gasp left his lips; the realisation finally kicking in. He bridged the distance between you and him, quickly engulfing you in a hug - which you returned gladly. The two of you stood there for a few moments, just crying happy tears and holding on to each other, before Loki backed up - just enough to press his forehead against yours. "H-How far along are you?" "Six weeks." Loki breathed out happily, the smile on his face getting as wide as it physically could. "I love you." He said, pressing a kiss on your lips, before he sunk on his knees in front of you, pressing his forehead gently against your stomach. "I love you." Loki repeated those three words like a believer a prayer in the church. "I love you." You buried your hands in his raven locks, witnessing how he pressed small kisses into the clothed skin on your stomach - and once again you couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I love you, too, baby... So much." At some points you felt how your knees were giving in and you sunk on the floor in front of Loki. He was quick to 'catch' you and wrap you once again up in a tight hug, crying happy tears alongside you. This new life growing within you meant so much to you and Loki. All the pain and sadness paying off now, getting rewarded by the biggest gift in life. You always felt happy with the life you lived - but you didn't feel so much happiness in a while, like you did right here and now - and so did Loki. A whole new chapter of life; a fresh page in Loki's and your storybook was ready to be discovered - and you've never been more ready to go on this journey with Loki and Ella by your side.

[braveclementine]

Extra Bonus Chapter

Warnings: None

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

*This is not part of the actual book. The book ended two chapters ago and that's the true ending. However. . . ever since I fell in love with. . . well a certain book theme. . . I feel like I sort've have to include it in every book I write. So you can think of this as the 'real' ending, but it's really more like. . . ending 2. You can choose depending on which you like better: Realistic or Non-realistic*

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

The Stark house was full of laughter and talking. You, Tony, Steve, Bucky, and Elizabeth had a dinner together almost every Sunday night. So the five of you were sitting around the rectangular table.

It had been about five more years ever since things had ended with Thanos and such. Elizabeth and Bucky no longer wore jackets or gloves over their Vibranium arms. Everleigh was heading off to college the next school term. You'd had another son three years ago named Blyke.

Elizabeth had another set of twins, a boy from Steve, a girl from Bucky. She'd named them after Harry Potter characters, which she was able to get away from because they were both head over heels with her and neither had any idea where their names originated.

Luna and Remus.

Tony had to hide his laughs from the super soldiers whenever Remus' name was said.

At the moment, you had all just finished a fried chicken dinner that Elizabeth and you had worked on together. Your children were all playing in the room next door, shouting as they played some sort of card game.

You were eating a chocolate muffin while Elizabeth ate vanilla cake. The three men drank beers.

"Oh yeah." Elizabeth said excitedly, more to you than the other three, but they trailed off to hear her. "I'm expecting."

"Again." You snorted teasingly.

"Yeah how many are you going to have?" Tony asked, sounding exhausted just with the idea of more kids.

"As many as God wants to give us." Elizabeth grinned. "Besides, it's not that bad. You have only four."

"Only four." Tony muttered.

"My stomach hurts just thinking about carrying another child." You sighed, although you wouldn't be opposed to another kid in reality.

"Pretty sure that's the chocolate muffin speaking." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

You snickered. "Yes, that's probably true."

"So whose kid?" Tony asked, motioning between the two super soldiers.

"Neither." All three of them answered together. And then as though that wasn't enough, Bucky added, "He's Sams'. We're going to name him Heimdall if he's a boy or Frigga if she's a girl."

It took you a moment to realize what they were saying. You inhaled your soda, crying out as the bubbles rushed to your nose, making you flinch and your eyes start watering. Tony choked on his mouthful of beer.

Tony coughed, pointing wildly between Steve and Bucky, "How did- What? How? I don't-"

"It's very simple Stark." Bucky drawled, "Sam fucked our girl and got her pregnant."

Tony just gaped, but you were sort of wondering how neither Bucky nor Steve seemed upset about it.

"You're blushing." Elizabeth teased and your cheeks burned more.

"I-"

"How could you?" Tony asked, but more in a curious way. "How did it not burn when. . . I mean you know. . . cheating. . ."

"Oh," Elizabeth said brightly. "Well, you see, when both parties consent on all sides, the pain doesn't exist."

"Wait." You looked at Steve and Bucky, "So what you're saying is-"

"All five of us fucked?" Bucky finished for you.

"Language." Tony said.

Steve shot him a glare.

"Oh." You said, looking at Tony and then Elizabeth, "Well, um, congrats? I think."

Tony tossed his beer back, trying to drain it in one gulp.

"Want to join in?" Elizabeth asked.

Tony spit his beer upwards so that it sprayed all over his face and he choked on it again. When his throat cleared he near shouted, "You have terrible timing!"

"Y/N." Elizabeth and you knew you were burning as you looked over at her. "What would you think if I went ahead and sat on Tony's lap?"

You bit your bottom lip and Elizabeth didn't give you a chance to answer before she said, "And of course, Steve's lap is a possible seat along with Bucky's for you."

You saw Tony's eyes darken just a little bit and you decided to tease. "Well. . ." You said slowly, starting to smile. "We are sisters. We probably should share everything."

"Especially our toys." Elizabeth nodded seriously, getting up from her seat, sauntering around to stand in front of Tony. Tony's expression turned a little uncertain, but also curious. You slowly half rose from your seat, but couldn't muster the courage to actually approach Steve.

So you watched, lips twitching into an amused smile as Elizabeth ran a finger across Tony's cheek. He seemed stunned and suddenly Steve said in his Captain voice, "Y/N. Come here sweetheart."

You moved to stand in front of Steve, who was smirking, looking very relaxed in his chair.

"So," Elizabeth said, "May I?"

"Uh- Y/N?" Tony asked quickly. "I mean, I'm excited but it's up to you Pumpkin."

"We can try it out." Steve said, looking up at you. "If you hate it, we stop. We never talk about it again. This isn't something that if we don't do it, we're not still going to be friends. It's just a lifestyle we have and we're offering it."

You looked at Tony, "I would like to try it."

"Steve?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at him, biting her bottom lip.

"Go ahead doll." Bucky chuckled and held his flesh hand out for you. You smiled, crossing your arms over your chest.

"I think that's the wrong hand." You said.

Bucky blushed a little, slowly extending his metal hand. You hadn't touched it before, really. You placed your hand in the palm, finding it as cold as expected, but also warm. You slid your hand up his arm and loved as he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

Then slowly, you sat in his lap. His metal arm came around your hip and the two of you looked at each other for a moment, before you blushed. You busied yourself with looking at his arm, seeing that Stephen's name had been added right under Elizabeth's.

You touched it. "Wait, you're soulmated to them too?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded while Elizabeth rested her head on Tony's shoulder. "We've been together for about a year now. Just trying it out. We decided to be soulmates about two weeks ago. We've been waiting to see how you guys would react, but you both seem to be taking it well."

"We're not asking you two to soulmate to us." Bucky said quickly. "It was a choice on Sam's side that we do it and we thought it sounded good. But even if you guys just wanted to be with us occasionally, like we wouldn't expect you to soulmate with us as well."

"Wait. . ." You said slowly. "So would Tony and I interact with Stephen and Sam as well since you're all technically soulmated?"

"You could. But they would understand if not." Steve answered easily.

You looked at Tony and then grinned, "Well if Sam is involved, I'm in."

"Now wait a damn minute. . ." Bucky mumbled darkly. "What's so good about that little bird?"

Elizabeth laughed and Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah right." Tony smirked, "You're thinking of the wrong one Y/N. I think you were actually thinking of that sexy wizard being the reason you want to jump into this."

You laughed, the tension in the room that had been there while trying this out was gone now. It felt amazing, the air in the room now. "You're probably right. The sexy wizard does have good appeal."

Steve chuckled at that.

"I agree." Elizabeth said brightly, sitting up a little more on Tony's lap. "The sexy-"

"If one of you call me a wizard one more time, I'm portaling you to Mars." Stephen threatened, walking into the dining room right then and there, Sam next to him. Sam was grinning and Stephen was smiling just a little bit.

You blushed darkly as the two of them came to stand near the rest of you. Stephen smirked at your husband, "So. . . Stark? You think I'm sexy?"

You looked and saw that Tony was blushing darkly, looking extremely flustered. Elizabeth flounced off his lap to go over and hug Sam, who wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

Tony cleared his throat, "Well, I mean. . . You are very um- good looking. I mean, anyone can see that-" Tony's words died as Stephen leaned over him, their lips inches apart. You could see Tony's adam apple bob hard. Then Stephen kissed him.

Your arousal spiked immediately and you rubbed your thighs together, forgetting where you were. But you remembered as Bucky chuckled, placing a hand on your thigh. "Oh doll. . ."

You blushed darkly, but couldn't tear your eyes away from where Tony was now clutching the front of Stephen's dress shirt, the two of them kissing deeply. Your heart actually skipped a beat, watching Stephen's tongue dip into Tony's mouth.

Suddenly, a completely different voice cleared their throat. You turned in Bucky's lap to see Everleigh standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her headphones were around her neck now and she raised her eyebrows.

"Everly!" Tony yelped, falling out of his chair, while you tensed on Bucky's lap. "Knock!"

Everleigh sighed, rolling her eyes, "Please take the kinky stuff to the bedroom. Preferably at someone elses house."

"Right." Tony said while Sam and Steve smirked. Stephen only put his thumb at his own lip.

"Sorry." Elizabeth apologized sincerely.

Everleigh sighed, walking out of the room, muttering darkly about her parents.

You put a hand over your face, remembering all of the kids were in the other room.

"Was that the first guy you've ever kissed?" Elizabeth teased Tony and you watched in amusement as Tony turned red again.

"Ah- well- um-" Tony stuttered, getting off the floor, grabbing the empty beer bottles. "More beer anyone?" And he nearly sprinted for the kitchen.

Elizabeth giggled, dancing over to where Stephen as still standing, kissing his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her now.

"Well?" Sam asked you. "Gonna join in?"

You waited a moment, thinking about all of it, before tilting your head up, catching Bucky by surprise as you kissed him on the lips. He responded quickly though and you loved the way his lips felt against yours.

"Oh yeah." Tony said, coming back into the room. "I'm liking this idea. Sweetheart?"

"Let's do it." You breathed as you pulled away.

And you did.

[sejanusbaby]

Eddie Munson NSFW Alphabet…

A/N: i’m so sorry for being inactive recently. my mental health has not been it’s best. :3 here’s some eds for you guys, though!

Warnings: 18+ (minors, dni) heavy sexual content.

—

to be added to my taglist…

a = aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

personally, i feel like eddie is a great lover, especially when it comes to aftercare. eddie seems all mean and tough on the outside, but there is truly nothing more meaningful to his soul than having your wrapped up in his arms. it’s just as intimate and important as actually having sex with you. he wants you to always feel reassured that you are appreciated and loved tremendously.

b = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner's)

his favorite body part of his would have to be his hands or his, let’s be honest, his dick. he never really thought too hard about how nice his hands looked until you pointed it out to him. of course, he started to take notice of what you meant, as his hand was wrapped tightly around your throat. and we all know eddie is a cocky bastard, so yeah, he likes the way his cock looks. almost as much as he likes to see it buried inside of you.

on you, i feel like he loves every single part of you. every crevice, mole, freckle, birthmark, scar, you name it. however, if he had to pick one, i have no doubt that eddie is ultimately a tits kind of guy. sure, he likes a woman with some ass and thighs. but there’s something about the way your breasts look, moving as he relentlessly shoves himself in and out of your cunt.

c = cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

b r e e d i n g k i n k. now, hear me out on this one. eddie is not particularly fond of the idea of you getting pregnant. however, there’s just something about being able to fill up your cute little pussy with his cum. of course, only with your consent. i feel like he would only be willing if you are, and maybe if birth control is being used properly. i think we can all agree this man is nowhere near ready to even fathom having children. i just think he likes the idea of his girl, all full of his cum. (a/n: please be safe when practicing unprotected sex, like this. i always think you should wrap it before you tap it! just take care of yourself!)

d = dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

he has many, many fantasies of being a cuck. though a fantasy is far from reality, so realistically, it would take him a lot to actually feel comfortable with it. it would definitely have to be someone you both trust. (…steve) i think this is more of an idea that crosses his mind while he touches himself, just because the thought turns him on more than anything.

e = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

i wish i could say this man is a virgin, because i love the thought of innocent little eddie. but let’s all be truthful here; this man fucks. i don’t think he’s ever had a sexual relationship with someone who means something to him, like you do. more hookups with random people than actually intimate relationships.

f = favorite position (this goes without saying)

call him boring, but missionary is the way to go. your wrists, cuffed to the headboard, a pillow underneath your ass, his fingers and rings digging into the flesh of your hips while he fucks you like an absolute animal. there’s something about looking into your eyes and watching you fall apart that he loves more than anything.

g = goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

our boy is definitely goofy, when it comes to intimacy. i can see him cracking a few jokes, just to ease any tension in the beginning. anything other than that is just side comments and in the moment jokes that come up.

h = hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

he definitely keeps it trimmed up down there, out of respect for you and just because he prefers for it not to be so messy. but he definitely doesn’t go full brazilian on you, though. he wouldn’t like the way it makes him itch as it grows back, and he knows you don’t care all that much, so he keeps it neat as possibly, just not bare.

i = intimacy (how are they during the moment?the romantic aspect)

i made a post previously about how eddie cries during sex, and it is absolutely true, to this day. i will die on this hill. we know he likes to be rough, but there’s some moments when he just wants to be gentle with you, caress your cheek with his hand, and press loving kisses all over you. he tears up almost every time, mumbling about how lucky he is to even have you in his life, let alone in this way.

j = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

this is pretty obvious, he jacks off a lot. that’s no surprise to anyone, i think. he’s a horny mother fucker and when you’re not around, he has to take care of himself, right? it’s probably a lot less now that he has you to take care of him. but it still happens a lot. let’s not even get into the time you two were still just friends, and you walked into him, cock in hand, head thrown back with a blunt between his lips, calling out your name.

k = kink (one or more of their kinks)

bondage, spanking, sonmophilia, mommy kink… the list could go on and on.

I = location (favorite places to do the do)

he will get down with you literally anywhere. in the back of his van? absolutely. the school bathrooms? 100%. during a d&d campaign? without a doubt. his own bedroom? for sure.

like i said, anywhere goes with eddie “the freak” munson.

m = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

literally just seeing you gets him going. the way you smile and laugh when you’re with your friends. the way your jeans fit you in just the right way, making his own jeans tighter in the process. hell, even the way you smile up at him gets him hard as fuck. the way your voice sounds, and the little noises you make when he’s feeling you up.

bonus: if he’s having a rough day, fully expect him to fuck you into next week.

n = no (something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

i know he’s open to pretty much everything, but i truly think that anything that risks genuinely hurting you is too much for him. he’s okay with choking, slapping, maybe some knife play. but anything involving something beyond that is too risky for him.

o = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

eddie could literally eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. he would never get tired of your taste. this is why i fully believe he prefers giving. i think he gets off more on making you feel good, rather than himself. however, he’s not going to turn down one of your amazing blowjobs, i can promise you that.

p= pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

99% of the time, he’s absolutely manhandling you all around the bedroom. he might not look as strong as he is, but he can easily throw you onto that bed so fast. don’t expect to be able to love much either, because he’ll hold you down until you can’t take it anymore.

long story, short. he absolutely goes to town on you, hard and fast. there’s a few times where he just wants to feel you and be gentle with you. either way, expect your pussy to be completely raw when he’s done with you.

q = quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

i think he’s definitely into it. maybe not as much as you’d think, but there’s definitely many times when he literally could not contain himself long enough to wait until you’re both home.

r = risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

eddie is totally into the idea of getting caught, and this plays into his cuck fantasy i mentioned earlier. any of his friends or yours walking in, while he has you on top of him, bouncing on his cock. he lives for that.

s = stamina (how many rounds can they go for how long do they last?)

realistically, he can only last one or two rounds. but they last for a pretty long time, so he makes up for it in that way. it all depends on his mood and energy. most days, expect two or three hours of your day, solely dedicated to letting him have his way with you.

t = toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

you better believe he uses toys on you. whether it’s dildos, vibrators, gags, etc. unlike other men, he isn’t insecure about using toys on you at all. if it enhances the experience for you, then it makes it better for him too. he’d literally do anything you ask anyway.

u = unfair (how much they like to tease)

of course eddie is a huge tease. he knows how much he can get you going, just by light traces on your sensitive skin, the way his warm breathe and lips feel on your neck as he tells you all the vile things he wants to do with your body. he knows you’ll get him back for it eventually too, and that’s part of the thrill for him.

v = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

we all know most men are too silent when it comes to sex. eddie definitely isn’t a screamer or anything, but expect a lot of whimpers, small growls, and lots of groaning. he likes to be vocal about how good you make him feel. it honestly makes you so much more aroused.

w = wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

he likes being pegged. there, i said it. he likes your more dominant side, and there’s something about the way you look, with a strap tightly fastened to your waist, as you push slowly into his right hole. it drives him crazy.

x = x-ray (let's see what's going on under those clothes)

i’m not going to over-exaggerate what he has going on, so this is what i think. he’s a solid 6 inches, with a little more girth than normal. it’s just enough to be slightly painful when stretching you out, but not enough to be annoyingly hurtful to you. he doesn’t need some giant dick to show you a good time. he knows how to work with what he’s got, babe.

y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

is this even a question? his sex drive is SKY HIGH. expect to get railed at least once a day, if not more. the only exception being that one of you is sick or genuinely not in the mood. you’ll be waking funny every day for the rest of your life, babe.

z = zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

i feel like most people would think he would pass out pretty fast, but i think he’d rather smoke a blunt and watch a movie / show with you afterwards. that is, unless we’re talking about super late night sex when you both literally have no energy for anything else.

—

taglist:

@feverdreqmz @asiagiuliasofia @aaaaslaaaan @miloistired @imnotabitch-imabadass @plant-hoe69 @hello-100 @frankie-mercury @ofherscarlettwitchways @katsukis1wife @littlebitchsposts @sshaggysstuff @nadinechalamet

[lilxberry]

That’s My Girl - Scott Lang

Requested by: @bnhaxreaderquotes​

Could I have a Scott Lang x longterm girlfriend fic?? Where she’s like super strong but super dumb?? Like she’s Thor but human and female XD bonus if she lifts Thor’s hammer to get to something and everyone’s like 👀 and she’s like ??? And scots like 🥰 “that’s my gf”

I loved this idea, I just really didn’t want to use the word stupid so much lmao I mostly referred to reader as “slow” I believe but like, this whole thing is kinda cute asf so I’m happy with it. I hope you’re happy with it too

Warnings: Like, a singular swear. Sweet ass Scott. Upset!Reader? IDEK ANYMORE.

Words: 1,645

Pairings: Scott Lang x Reader (female reader) (super strong reader?)

Unplanned sequel; That’s My Wife

_______________

There’re many words to describe you.

Sweet? Yes. Kind? Yep. Selfless? Definitely. Beautiful? 100%. Strong? No doubt.

Stupid?

No, just…slow.

It’s not that you lacked intelligence, just, your brain worked at a different pace to that of others. Your fellow teammates could tell you that. Especially your partner Scott.

Scott, the sweetie pie that he is, certainly tries his best to help you catch up, to understand things that hadn’t really made sense to you at first. He’s no stranger to defending you either, no matter who or what it’s against.

Including your teammates.

“So, like C-3P0?”

Your head was tilted in confusion and your face was scrunched up as you tried desperately to understand what Tony was talking about.

You had walked into the lab finding all of the Avengers surrounding Tony rambling on about his newest creation, engineering some crazy new robotic tech. The others that had been subjected to his showcasing had explained to you that he’d called them in, forced them to watch the unveiling of Frankenstarks newest monster.

When you had asked why you hadn’t been called in, you’d missed the way Tony and the others tensed up. They knew that you wouldn’t understand a word Stark was speaking, as if the man were speaking some foreign language to you, but they didn’t want to explain that it was because you were ‘dense’.

The heaven-sent that is Scott stepped forward, a big, bright smile on his face as he entwined his fingers with your own as he came up with an excuse for the billionaire, saving Starks’ skin and sparing your feelings.

“He thought you’d find it boring. We all do to be honest honey but only so many of us are lucky enough to have an out,” was the sugar-coated explanation he conjured up on the spot.

You bought it easily, nodding in understanding with the sweetest of smiles before reaching up on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. The others visibly relaxed, though you were oblivious as you stared up at Scott with a love-sick expression.

You had then gone on to ask what exactly it was that Tony had been working on which had led to a longwinded explanation with wild gestures and a heap of words you certainly didn’t understand whatsoever. Truth be told, he’d lost you within the first sentence.

Tony heaved a sigh. “No, not like C-3P0. The design is completely different and the level of A.I. being used it higher than that of C-3P0,” he spoke exasperatedly, a mocking tone taking over his tone near the end.

Feeling even more confused that what you had originally felt, you tried once more to understand.

“So…like Vision?”

Sam snorted as majority of the others smirked or tried to supress their smiles, Vision unsurprisingly seemed stoic as ever. Tony, on the other hand, had a look of genuine surprise. Almost looking proud.

“Uh, yeah, actually. You worked that out a lot faster than I thought you would honestly,” Tony said as an off-handed comment causing the others to still and Scott to tense slightly beside you while your brows furrowed.

“What’d you mean?”

Scott once again interjected to save the day, dragging your attention to him instead. “None of us really got it, that’s all. I’m pretty sure Thor still doesn’t, honestly.” He whispered the last part as he pointed his thumb towards the towering, blonde Asgardian.

Although your heart fluttered at the thought of Scott trying to be so sweet and kind to you, you couldn’t help the hurt that spread through you. You knew how the others viewed you, how they thought you were stupid, how you don’t understand anything.

Rather than show it affected you, you forced a smile on to your face and a tiny giggle to pass your lips.

Glancing at the others before allowing your eyes to fall back on to your boyfriend, you kept the feigned smile on your lips as you spoke. “I just remembered I gotta load of stuff to do. I’ll see you guys later.”

Scott flashed you his pearly whites in a wide smile before pecking your forehead and giving you a quiet “Sure babe.”

Walking backwards, you called out loudly to the group before exiting the room. “Have fun with Vision 2.0.”

Usually, when the team unintentionally commented on you in such a way, it would never really affect in such a negative way but today, it was just a series of failure after failure, your day all-round being bad.

From the comment in the lab, to the accidental breaking of a trainee’s arm due to you forgetting the strength you held over others, to Steve and Bucky taking the last of the coffee in the pot of the coffee machine which you had no idea how to work.

You had even bumped into someone in the hallway, the file you had been carrying falling to the ground and the papers inside scattering across the floor in disarray, leaving you to try reorganising the lot, taking a whole hour and a half.

It’s unfortunate that the person to be at the end of your disgruntled mood would be someone who you strongly considered a friend.

The Avengers who were currently residing at the compound were all scattered within the main living area and the open kitchen when you walked in, looking dishevelled as you frantically searched for a package that you had been notified had been delivered.

Walking through, you looked to see if the damn thing was atop any table you passed. Hell, you even lifted one of the chairs slightly to see if someone was cruel enough to hide the thing under it.

Although everyone had opted to watch you curiously, it was your sweet Scott to break the silence.

“Hey honey, whatcha’ doing there?” he asked curiously.

You grumbled out your answer, honestly ready for the day to be over with. “I’m looking for my delivery.”

Sam snorted before pointing towards the island in the centre of the kitchen. “You mean that massive package right there?”

Low and behold, there sat your package on top of the cool, marble surface, just with an added feature. You scowled, storming over towards the thing. You turned your fiery gaze to Thor, who was overall minding his own business chowing down on the entire contents of a Pop Tart box.

“WHY DID YOU PUT YOUR HAMMER ON MY FUCKING DELIVERY?!” You roared out, everyone’s eyes widened in complete and utter shock, Thor even jumped at the sudden loud booming. As he opened and reclosed his mouth repeatedly in a pathetic attempt to say something, anything, you continued.

“There could’ve been something really important in there! Or-or super fragile or something! What if you broke it?!”

During your explosion at the poor Asgardian, you happened to grasp the handle of Mjölnir and lift it with ease, causing everyone’s eyes to widen further and even a few mouths to drop open, gaping at the sight in front of them, Tony choking on his drink that he had been taking a sip of. Although Scott was just as shocked as those around him, he more so looked like a small child who’s completely wonder-struck, a twinkle in his eye.

“Never, and I mean NEVER, put your hammer on my damn things again. GOT IT?!” You shoved the hammer into Thors’ chest harshly, causing him to fumble to get a hold of it.

Once certain he had a tight grasp on the thing, you released your hold and spun on the spot, now becoming witness to everyone’s flabbergasted expressions. “WHAT?” you asked in exasperation and confusion, today completely tiring you out mentally and emotionally.

A pregnant silence befell you all before Scott suddenly jumped out of his seat, face ecstatic, arms raised high into the air above his head, hands balled up into fists, a loud and excited shout escaping him.

“YES!”

“You-you’re worthy?” Thor asked quietly to no one in particular.

Your brows furrowed deeply, now entirely confused and ever so slightly self-conscious. “What?”

“You’re worthy babe! Hell yeah! Up top!” he had made his way over towards you, now one arm raised with his hand now relaxed, waiting on you to give him a high five.

“I’m not following…”

“Only Thor could lift the hammer ‘cause he was the only one who’s worthy or whatever. It’s like impossible for anyone else to lift it,” Clint started to explain before being cut off by Natasha.

“Until you, that is. You’re the only other one whose been able to lift it.”

“Oh,” was all you said before shrugging your shoulders and waddling your way past Scott and towards your package on the kitchen island, picking it up and beginning to walk away.

Before you left though, you thought this to be the perfect opportunity to finally boast about something that you had been able to do that the others couldn’t. “Well, I may be stupid but at least I don’t put my back out by trying to lift a little hammer.”

You smirked as you continued to walk away, your destination being your room, package what would be heavy to most in your arms. Scott laughed loudly, something you could hear as you continued to retreat to your bedroom.

Meanwhile…

“HELL YEAH! THAT’S MY GIRL! WOO!” Scott began to follow after you, still shouting out every single word he spoke. “HONEY! THAT WAS LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVER! DID YOU SEE THEIR FACES?! Oh man, I can’t wait to tell Cass. SHE’S GONNA FREAK!”

The Avengers were still suck in their retrieves of shock, all unmoving, all trying to process the newfound information that you could lift the hammer.

Thor seemed to be taking it the worst, looking ever so slightly frightened, gulping loudly.

“I believe I have new matters to discuss with my father...”

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I love any Paul Rudd character just as much as him

I even have a t-shirt with his beautiful ass face on lmao

If you want to be added to a taglist lemme know

Anywho, I hope you enjoy

As always, constructive criticism and requests are welcomed and greatly appreciated :D

_______________

Marvel taglist:

@thanossexual

[stxvercgersslut]

Love Without Doubt

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

Part 1: It’ll be over and I’ll Still Be Asking When

Other people mentioned: Natasha, Tony, Clint, Wanda & others

Warnings: Mentions of death, heartache, language like normal, angry reader, sad steve, dead Tony, smut in the future, pregnancy, a whole load of angst and a whole lot of fluff in future parts.

Description: Losing Tony Stark was the worst thing to ever happen to you. But finding out that you were 3 months pregnant with your late husbands baby hit the nail on the head. You were alone, heartbroken and Scared. Steve’s riddled with guilt, knowing you were out there alone and pregnant hurt him, how could he leave you like that? Exactly he couldn’t.

A/n: I know the pictures are of a white girl but this is by no means a white girl fic. In fact this is reader insert! Meaning that you get to imagine yourself in this fic as y/n, so I will not be addressing the colour of her skin because that is for you to do! :) I know that this chapter is just a short one but this is the prologue. I didn’t think it needed to be that long.

A/n: ahhhh it’s been a while. I’m sorry for my absence I didn’t really plan on writing this again. But after a lot of thinking 🤔 came to the conclusion that I honestly adore this fic too much not to continue it.

Positive.

Shit!

'No no no no no! Y/n this can't be happening right now! How on earth could you let this happen?' You screamed in your head. Just some of the thoughts that were running wild in your brain as you continued to stare hundreds of tiny little holes into the pregnancy test.

Tony had always wanted kids, ever since the pair of your had begun to date those long 7 years ago he'd been open with you about his longing for children. But now the moment you should have shared with your loving husband was shared with you and your reflection in the mirror. The man you loved would never get to meet his beautiful baby and that fact alone was enough to shatter your heart into slivers. There truly was no coming back from this pain.

How could this be happening right now? More importantly, how could this be happening to you right no! After everything you'd been through the world just wouldn't give you a break?!? With Tony gone how on earth were you even going to provide of a baby? Let alone looked after it on your own!

As these questions continued to race around your brain at 100 miles an hour, your hands began to shake uncontrollably whilst tears began to fall from your eyes. It was no surprise that you were understandably distraught with the cards you'd been dealt by the world.

————————————————————

Despite your pain, Steve was going through heartbreak just as much as you were, completely traumatised due to being forced to watch one of his best friends sacrifice himself in order to save not only the world but also the universe it's self. Not only did he have the trauma but he also had the guilt of your pain looming over you.

Due to what he'd witnessed Steve would find himself experiencing nightmare after nightmare every single night, barely managing to sneak in any sleep before the images of his former best friend, Tony Stark, dying in front of him reappeared in his brain for what felt like the millionth time. It had only been 3 days since that dreaded day yet he'd been tossing and turning ever since. Living alone in his currant state was never a good idea. But since he had no one to help him through the PTSD he had to just struggle on through.  With all his failures coming back to haunt him it was tough but he had to try. Otherwise what was the point in anything?

As the early hours of the morning sunshine began to shine through his half open curtains, Steve jolted awake. Once again awakened by the deadliness of his nightmare. However, this time, unlike any other time, he woke up with an overwhelming sense of guilt towards you. His entire heart burning from what you must have been going through.  After all he knew exactly how close you and Tony use to be, how could he have been so cruel to rip that away from you when you'd been so happy?

Knowing that you'd be all alone in that huge cabin, alone with your thought eating you alive just like his were, truly didn't sit right with him. It was just in his blood to help people, whether or not they actually wanted his help was a different question but if someone was in distress, which he somehow had a feeling you were, he had to at least try and help.

Grunting, the still slightly panicked soldier stretched out his limbs, releasing all tensions from the night before as he did every morning even before the blip. It was just apart of his routine now and he'd never be able to stop that.

'Alright, time to get up I guess' the male mumbled to himself as his feet met the hard wood of his apartment bedroom floor. Ever since the blip Steve hadn't been able to stay at the Avengers compound, too afraid of having to relive all of those failures again. Now, with the compound completely and utterly destroyed, it was just an added reason for him not to go back there. Especially with everything that had gone on in there before.

He may have looked okay from the outside but on the inside? Oh he was a broken man alright. What did anyone expect from a super soldier who'd been through as much trauma as him?

As the male prepared his morning coffee his mind wandered back to you, wondering what on earth you could have been doing in a cabin all alone by yourself. Maybe you were still asleep in bed , shaking off all the loneliness and all the heart break with as much sleep as you could? If that was the case then maybe Steve could rest easier knowing that for the most part you were okay. Maybe he would have been able to forget about you if he knew for certain that you were able to slip into a state of peace when you fell asleep.

But for some reason Steve just couldn't shake the idea of you maybe crying yourself to sleep every night. Or even worse, what if you were listening to that damn hologram again? Or his voicemail again? What if you still hated him? Oh he had to put this right.

Deep down Steve knew you hated the way that he'd handled things, the way he'd brutally dragged your husband away from you. Bursting the bubble surrounding the two of you in the process. But if there was any possible way that he could put all the heartbreak right and ease his Conscience in the process then he had to try right? No matter how much you hated him right now he knew that you'd need a friend right now.

So without a second thought, the super soldier poured his morning coffee into a travel mug (one Bucky had bought him one year), threw on a t-shirt and jeans, grabbed his leather jacket as well as his keys and left the house. There just had to be a way to put this right.

As Steve made his way to the cabin that used to be shared by you and Tony, he couldn't help but lose himself in deep thought. Struggling to comprehend how life had just fucked everyone over so awfully. Yeah they managed to get their lives back and bring everyone home in the process. But what good was that when Tony didn't arrive back home to you safely? What use was bringing all the blipped back when Steve had to explain to you that your husband was never coming home. The world was cruel, that he knew for certain.

It hadn't taken him more than an hour to finally arrive at your cabin, sucking in a deep breath as he slowly exited him car and made his way up to the front door.

Was he really about to do this? Was he really about to attempt to talk to you even though he knew that you most likely hated his guts?

Apparently so since his he curled his hand into a fist and gently knocked on the door, staring is hung that he could hear the sound of joyful laughter. But in reality all he could hear was painful sobs. That was the hardest part, hearing you sob was already breaking his heart. It was times like these he truly did wish that his hearing wasn’t as strong as it happened to be.

With one more breath, Steve finally pulled himself together and knocked 3 times, hoping you’d opened the door for him.

————————————————————

You'd been so caught up in your emotional agony that you'd barely had enough time to hear the first couple knocks, but by the third knock your senses seemed to finally come back quick enough to only slightly hear the very last knock.

After straightening yourself up a little you finally made your way towards the door, dreading the panic attack that was most likely coming your way after everything you’d gone through. However, nothing had prepared you for who you found at the door upon opening.

“Steve?” You groaned almost angrily; practically spitting it out.

Tags: @jtargaryen18​ @chuckbass-love​ @et-lesailes​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @cevans-fics​ @dwights-new-plague @sweetllamaparadise @jessyballet @lharrietg @patzammit

[side-shawty]

Burn XIV (Stark!Reader)

XIV: Family Business

Fandom: Marvel (MCU)

Type: series

Prompt/Summary: Family is not just blood.

Pairing(s): Peter Parker x Stark!reader, Tony Stark x daughter!reader

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

•

The next morning you somehow found yourself a tangle of arms and legs with Peter. 

After the initial wariness of your surroundings faded you were still finding it hard to believe this was all real you relaxed into him again. You pushed your face into his chest and breathed in his calming scent as his strong arms unconsciously tightened around you. 

Your eyes slipped closed again and you were almost asleep again when the light sliding of the door opening could be heard. 

You hoped they’d go away once they saw you were both asleep but there was no such peace with the Avengers.

“Aww look at how cute they are. You owe me five bucks Sam,” Natasha spoke.

“No you owe me, I said they’d be attached at the hip within 12 hours and you said 20,” you could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“Okay, but I said 8 so, both of you pay up,” Bucky interrupted and it took everything in you not to look at them and roll your eyes. 

You could hear the exchange of money and Bucky’s over-enthused “Thank you,” in reply.

Peter groaned beside you and held you closer, “You guys are way too loud,” he told them, eyes still closed.

“And you’re way too stingy, can’t we see her too?” Nat said and you giggled a little at that, effectively blowing your cover.

“She’s up!” Sam said and you and Peter both sat up, rubbing at your eyes and stretching.

“She wants to go back to sleep,” you told them and they laughed lightly.

“No time for that. Time for hugs,” Nat said, coming to your side of the bed. 

Meanwhile, Peter got out of the bed and told you he’d be back with breakfast before kissing your cheek. The simple action made you giddy.

“Bleh,” Bucky fake gagged as Peter left and he and sam sat in his now vacant spot.

You hugged each of them tight, you hadn’t realized how much you missed everyone. 

“So lover boy was here all night, huh?” Sam asked wiggling his eyebrows as if he didn’t know the answer.

“Yes he was, we talked and we slept and I will take no more questions,” you crossed your arms over your chest. 

“That better be it,” Bucky said but there was no threat in his voice that warranted concern.

“Gosh, you’re really showing your age today aren’t you Buck?” Nat teased before turning to you. “Earlier he asked me what an AirPod was,” she laughed and you laughed with her.

“And here I thought you were getting the hang of this new fangled century,” you told him.

“Listen I’m trying okay, everything is so fancy for no reason,” he sulked and you laughed again.

“Seriously though kid, how are you?” Sam questioned and they all looked at you expectantly.

“In one piece,” you said honestly. “Some scrapes and bruises and a cut on the back of my neck that’ll probably scar but I’m alive,” you smiled.

“Was it a shock device?” Bucky asked darkly.

You hesitated before answering, “Yeah.”

Bucky’s metal arm flexed as he balled his hand into a fist, “I’ll fucking kill those HYDRA assholes one day.”

You placed a hand on top of his fist, “Hey,” he looked up at you, “I’m alright. Thanks to all of you I’m here and breathing. I love you guys.” 

Before you knew it they pulled you into a hug and you held back tears giving you their own declarations of love. When Peter came back in with food they all decided to let you eat in peace with your boyfriend. Peter told you the doctors would be here around one and in the meantime, you’d probably get several visitors. 

All too soon, he had to leave for the city, there was only so much school he could avoid without the possibility of not graduating on time. He left with a promise returning that evening and a soft kiss on your lips. 

Before anyone new came in you asked FRIDAY to call your mom downstairs. She helped you shower and change into sweats and one of Peter’s shirts with a wink. She told you that she would have stayed longer but Morgan would be waking up for the day soon. 

Your dad stopped by for a little after she left and after Sam and Bucky blew something up he also had to leave.

The next ones to walk through the door were Steve and Rhodey.

“Well if it isn’t two of my favorite soldiers,” you smiled as they walked in.

“As long as I’m the number one favorite I accept,” Rhodey said before gathering you into his arms for a tight hug.

When he let go Steve was next, “Keep dreaming Rhodes.” 

“Well I would tell you who my favorite was if I thought it wouldn’t hurt your feelings,” you told them as they had taken the same positions as everyone else and sat on either side of you.

“C’mon now Y/N you wouldn’t want to give the old man a heart attack.”

Steve rolled his eyes.

“Anyways, how are you Y/N?” Steve asked.

“Good, healing, y’know? Seems like it’ll be a long process but I feel better than I did when I first woke up last night.”

“I’m glad to hear it, we’re only going up from here.”

“Definitely, by the way, I haven’t seen Thor, Clint, or Bruce today.”

“Thor is off-world, apparently whatever HYDRA used to brainwash Harley is similar to the mind stone so he’s trying to get it out ahead of it,” Steve told you.

“Clint had to run home, Laura is going to give birth soon and Bruce should be by later with your other doctors,” Rhodey finished.

“Ah got it. I cant wait for little Y/N to be born,” you said.

“Yeah because Barton is definitely gonna want to name is kid after the girl who put retractable grates in the vents to mess with him,” Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Well he shouldn’t have tried to prank me on my own turf.”

“Everywhere is your turf,” Steve said.

You grinned, “Exactly.”

Steve hesitated before speaking again and his face became solemn, “Listen I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more for you that night.”

“So am I, we’re family, I should have protected you,” Rhodey added. They both let their heads hang low.

You took one of each of their hands into you, “You guys, look at me,” they obeyed, “I’m so incredibly happy right now you have no idea. A lot went wrong but I’m okay, even if I do have to spend a couple extra days in here.”

They both smiled at you and things felt okay again. They stayed for a little while longer leaving you with words of encouragement before you were once again left alone.

However, you weren’t suffocating the way you had been at HYDRA. You asked FRIDAY to project the water by the compound onto the right wall, it felt like you could finally release all the tension in your body.

Before you knew it your eyes slipped closed and you fell asleep.

——

You were awakened again by the sound of the door opening, this time Bruce and your dad walked in with —

“Well this is quite the surprise,” you said smiling.

“How could I not visit my favorite fire-wielding hero,” he spoke and made his way over to bring you into a tight hug.

Bruce hugged you next with a smile and then went over to one of the machines you had unhooked when you first woke up. Your dad gave you a kiss on the forehead and then stood beside the other scientist.

“To what do I owe the pleasure Doctor Strange?” You asked.

“You know me,” He took a seat next to you on the bed, “I love popping in and out but after I heard what happen I made sure your dad kept me in the loop. I know magic stuff keeps me busy but I am still your Godfather,” he told you.

“Mystical Godfather,” Tony threw in, “A totally made up title.”

Strange rolled his eyes and silently mocked your dad, “Still a title.”

“Debatable.”

You laughed lightly at their childishness.

“In all seriousness though, your dad ordered a full workup. He said your flames turned purple and wanted to make sure it didn’t damage your body in a non-tradition sense,” he told you and you nodded.

“So I only get a visit if my life at risk?” You asked overdramatically, throwing a hand to your forehead, “You wound me.”

“Haha, very funny. Now sit up straight while I work my … magic,” he said.

“Booo, your jokes have gotten worse since Christine got pregnant,” However, you sat up straight as he stood.

Strange was quick to begin in a flash of warm light symbols surrounded you, several of them had even went in and out of your body. 

After a few minutes, he was finished and the light and symbols faded away. His face was littered with mixed emotions.

“What is it?” You asked, concerned.

“Are you alright?” Strange asked and the question grabbed the attention of Bruce and Tony.

You were confused, “I mean aside from some injuries that might scar I feel fine.”

“Tired? Weak? Foggy mind?” Strange asked.

“Barely, it was bad when I first woke up though. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Part of what a ‘full workup’ is is looking into your soul or aura and it seems like whatever happened when you released those purple flames caused a hole,” Strange explained. 

The room was silent. All three men looked at you anxiously as you sat in shock, you weren’t sure what to say.

“So a piece of he is just poof! Gone?” Tony asked, bewildered at the idea.

“It’s a small piece but essentially, yes. There’s a chance it may come back over time but things like this are usually done only in dire situations of stress or emotional turmoil.”

“Well my situation checks all the boxes,” you said quietly to yourself.

It was then that tour father decided to move from his spot beside Bruce and wrap an arm around your shoulders. 

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I think so, this is just a lot to process.”

He nodded and the room fell into silence once again.

“Well on the bright side,” Bruce spoke up, “It seems the damage Hydra did to your powers was temporary. If your readings are correct, you should be at 100% in no time,” he finished with a comforting smile.

“Thanks, Bruce. That actually does make me feel a little better,” you smiled with him.

After that Bruce ran a couple more tests and then the three men were gone again. However, your father did leave you your phone which you were beyond grateful for. You were playing a random game on it when Dr. Evans came to give you a quick check-up and update before leaving. 

You had a few more hours of peace before your next visitor decided to show their face, it had to be well after sunset by now. 

There were two knocks on your door and you replied for them to come in. You locked your phone and placed it on your bed as he entered and for some reason seeing him made you lose your breath.

“Harley,” you whispered.

•

NEXT CHAPTER

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Family - 20

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1857

Warnings:  Pregnancy, mentions of past child abuse

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 20: The Road to Forgiveness

I organized to meet my mother for lunch a week later.  Natasha, Wanda, and Thor came with me.   There had been a very long discussion full of a lot of debate about who should come with me.  If I’d let them they all would have, but I didn’t want the whole thing to be overwhelmed by them.  Part of me had wanted to go alone, but then when it came down to it, I was still scared to be left alone with either of my parents.  Besides, we were trying to keep the pregnancies out of the tabloids and if I was going to go out in public, I needed to take Natasha with me so they couldn’t see me.

Wanda came so that she could read my mother’s mind, to see if she was genuine in her attempts to shake off my father and start a new life and relationship with me.  While, Thor was coming because he had that ability to both be a calming and relaxing influence, but also intimidating if need be.

We thought we’d grab lunch somewhere with a private dining room that we could just be free to talk without too many prying eyes.  Then afterward we’d go shopping for baby clothes and maybe something for ourselves.

We were all well and truly showing now, and I did worry about how mom would take the news that all three of us were pregnant.  Natasha wore a short, black maternity dress with knee-length black leggings underneath and a chain belt that sat above the baby bump that’s chain hung down her side.  Wanda was in a long, flowing, off-the-shoulder, lace dress in cream with red flowers embroidered on the bust and around the hems.  I was in a short black dress with a blue tartan skirt and a pair of black lace tights under it.  Thor was in black jeans, a gray v-neck t-shirt, and his favorite red velvet jacket over it.  When we suddenly appeared in front of the staff of the restaurant they almost jumped in shock.  That shock was quickly replaced with a look of slight awe and definitely attraction as they looked Thor up and down.

Mom was already waiting for us when we were led into the private room.  She was with my brother Ian and a small, slight woman around his age that I didn’t recognize but I assumed must be his wife because there were two kids there too - a girl who looked around eight years old and a boy around five.

Mom got to her feet and seemed to move forward like she was going to come and greet me with a hug, before stopping dead and looking me up and down.  “Elise! You’re pregnant!”

“I am?” I said, looking down at myself.  “Oh wow.  I guess I am.”

She gave me that look moms are so good at.  The ones that tell you that you’re not as funny as you think you are.  To her credit, she didn’t press the issue.

“Congratulations,” she said. “And both of you too?”

Natasha gave a terse nod, while Wanda smiled.  “That’s right,” she said.

“Mom, you met Wanda,” I say.  “And this is Natasha and Thor.”

Thor offered her his hand.  She seemed grateful to take it.  “It’s nice to meet you,” you said.

Ian moved forward.  “Hey, El,” he said.  “This is my wife Rachel.”  Despite not having touched either of the people that were related to me, I offered my hand to Rachel.   She shook it and trembled a little as she did.

“So nice to meet you.  Ian said you were his sister and I didn’t believe him,” she said.

“Well, we’ve not had a lot of contact over the last fifteen or so years,” I said.

“Oh, this is Josh and Hannah,” she said.

“Hello,” I said, though their attention was completely drawn to Thor.  They stared up at him with their mouths open.

He crouched down and smiled warmly at them.  “Hello, children,” he said.  “How are you?”

“I hope you don’t mind us coming along too,” Ian said.  “We came to visit mom and then your people set up the lunch…”

“It’s fine,” I assured him.  “It’s good to see you.  Let’s sit.  I’d really like to get off my feet.”

We all sat down, the kids both choosing chairs on either side of Thor.  A waiter took our drink orders and left us to decide what we would order.

“How are your kids?  You have two right?  I read that somewhere,” Rachel asked.

“Yes, we have twins.  A boy and a girl.  They’re in preschool right now,” I answered.  While everyone else seemed to be relaxing a little more, Natasha seemed to be getting more wound up and I was wondering if it was a good idea to bring her.  “They’re good.”

Wanda looked at Natasha and Natasha pursed her lips.  I was pretty certain that Wanda was telling her off because as the rest of us looked over the menu and Thor spoke with the kids about what they wanted to order Natasha’s face got tenser and tenser until she sagged and let out a huff of breath.

The waiter brought our drinks out and took our orders.  I ordered four cheese gnocchi but as soon as the waiter left I regretted it.  I wasn’t sure how well I was going to be able to stomach such a heavy dish considering the circumstances.  Thankfully Thor ordered four different entrees and three starters, and among them was a salad and bruschetta so if I needed to, I knew I’d be able to swap with him.

“How have things been going, mom?” I asked.  “They told me you’ve settled here.”

“Yes,” Mom said.  “It’s a big change.  Originally I was just going to stay in Ohio with Amanda but then part of me worried that if I did that I’d end up just going back to him.  And I wanted to show you I was serious and make it up to you.  I missed so much and I know ... I know how I treated you - all of you really - was terrible.  Making you think it was okay for him to treat us like that.  Making you think that was the only way to have a life.  I don’t want to make excuses but it was all I knew either.  And now here you are… with this other way.  Are you happy?”

I smiled a little and my eyes felt a slight prickle from tears forming.  “Yeah, mom.  I’m really happy.  This is different, you’re right.  And sometimes it’s not easy.  But while most people see the difference as us all being together as a group rather than just paired off, what’s different to me is I feel safe, loved, and supported.  Even during our worst time, I had people who loved and supported me there helping me get through it.  I just… never felt that growing up.  I was scared all the time and I couldn’t see any way that would ever end, because you kept telling me all the ways I had to act to get a good husband, but a good husband wasn’t a good man, it was a rich one.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.  I want to try and make it up to you,” mom said.  “But I know I can’t.  I just hope you’ll let us start from scratch.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for too,” I said.

“Is it true that you’re all married to each other?”  Hannah asked.

“That’s right, young one,” Thor said. “In fact for a while, your Aunt was the Queen of Asgard.”

“Woah,” Hannah gasped. “Really?  Why not anymore?”

“After we wed I gave up the throne to my sister.  She is taking care of things now so I have time to be a husband and father,” Thor explained.

“Are you really all married?  I mean… officially?” Mom asked, looking between the three of us.

“As you know, on Earth Elise is legally married to Tony,” Wanda explained.  “We did that for a sense of security and to protect the children’s inheritance.  But prior to that, we all participated in a ceremony known as bonding on Asgard.”

“Asgard is more forward-thinking than here,” Thor added. “They are all legally my spouses and count as Asgard royalty.  They are all princes and princesses there.  It is much deeper too.  We are connected.”

The starter came out and I pinched one of Thor’s stuffed mushrooms and began to eat it with a piece of warm rye bread that was provided for the table.  I definitely wasn’t as tense as I had been when I arrived but even still, the rich buttery stuffing on the mushroom sat like a brick inside me when I swallowed it.

“Can I ask something?”  Mom said.  “I don’t know if this is offensive or rude but… do you know who the fathers of the children are?”

I sighed and took a sip of my drink, wishing the sweet and acidic juice had the deep burn of alcohol to go with it.  “They’re everyone’s mom.  Just like I’m going to be mommy to the babies that Wanda and Nat are carrying.”

“No,” she said, a little flustered.  “I know, but…”

I shook my head, interrupting her. “Look, I know it’s different, and maybe even hard for you to grasp because you did play favorites.  But we don’t.  Not with these kids.  We do happen to know biology.  Part of that was because of medical issues that might have arisen depending on whose biology was involved.  But as far as how we act and how we treat the kids, they are loved equally by everyone as their own.  Because they are.  That is no one’s business but ours.  And I want to make it clear, they could biologically have been anyone’s. We aren’t confused friends, mom.  They’re my husbands and wives in every sense of the word.”

“Right,” she said.  “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said.  “I do want you to feel okay around us.  But… not if we have to fit some ideal you still have set in your head about how my life should be.  It is how it is and if you want to meet the others and even the kids then you just have to be open to that difference.”

“Can we meet the other avengers?”  Hannah asked.

“Perhaps someday,” Thor said.  “I am sure your cousins would love to meet you too.”

“Thor,” Natasha warned, giving her head a tiny shake.

“Does that mean you’re our uncle?”  Hannah asked.

A large smile broke out on Thor’s face.  “Why yes it does,” he said.

“I’ve got a safer topic of discussion, and one Rachel and I can reciprocate,” Ian said.  “How did you all meet and start seeing each other in the first place?”

“Oh, yes please,” Rachel added.  “I would love to hear that.”

I smiled and looked at Natasha.  “That we can do,” I said.  “But it depends on how far back you want to go.  Because it really starts way back in 1929…”

// NEXT

[builder051]

The talk

Chasing Ghosts

(I generally do not play in this arena; DO NOT ask for other stories with PMS, etc., as illness features. I do loosely plan to continue this thread, though. Or @mohini-musing might pick up for me.)

Warnings: weight (though not ED context), SA inc. prostitution, blood, emeto

____________________________

Tasha comes down the hall and stands like a ghost behind the sofa.

James is in the recliner across the living room, and he barely looks up from the textbook he's pretending to peruse. The quiet music he's had playing in one ear has long since captured his attention more than the multiplication of matrices. He's fairly sure he'll never use the skill lest he become a software engineer post-graduation, and the prospect of that's looking pretty slim.

He sees Tasha out of his peripheral vision, but doesn't move his head or lift his eyes for acknowledgment. She's probably drifted down from her weekend high, realized it's Sunday night, and gotten up for a Gatorade and maybe a glance at her homework.

Steve, though, who's lying on his stomach and taking up the whole of the couch, practically jumps to attention. He stands, scoots, and sits again in the amount of time it takes James to blink and make the first inhalation of a laugh.

"Sorry," Steve says, as if he's personally offended Tasha and just been called out. "I didn't mean... I was just, like, studying..."

Tasha shrugs. "Didn't come to sit with you," she says, in a voice that recalls the 'boys are gross' tone of young teenagerhood.

"What's up, then?" James asks, trying to bring back the balance of the room's atmosphere.

Tasha makes an ugly face. She opens her mouth, then shuts it. "Can I talk to you alone?"

James scoffs. "You think there's privacy in this apartment?"

"I can go, I don't know--" Steve looks around.

"Just talk," James says. He almost rolls his eyes, but the undercurrent of Tasha's affect seems to hold an air of seriousness. If there's something she needs to confess or ask for help with, he doesn't want her to feel less than secure.

Tasha lets out a breathy sort of sigh. "Blood," she says. "There's blood."

"Huh?" Steve responds first. "Where?"

James takes a little longer to contemplate the admission. Has she cut herself? There's no visible damage; Tasha's not holding an injury or howling in pain. Bloody vomit? That's nothing new, really, and even with vampire-red teeth, which she doesn't have, Tasha probably wouldn't come crying to him.

James is still thinking when Tasha points vaguely down the hall and to the left, which is, technically speaking, her side of the apartment. Or at least the bedroom and bathroom they'd parceled out for her when they'd unofficially moved her out of her dreary campus housing.

"What, in your room?" Steve asks.

"No." Tasha screws up her eyes. "I mean... I'm bleeding."

The cogs continue to turn in James's head, and just as he lands on an answer, Steve gives up, shaking his head and saying, "I don't get it."

"Fuck you," Tasha mumbles. "Both of you." She turns and starts to head back down the hallway.

"Tash." James jumps to his feet, his algebra book falling to the floor.

"You guys are fucking gay..."

"Hey!" Steve interjects.

James flaps his hand at Steve to shut him up. "Maybe we're gay, but I'm your big brother." He shoots a quick glance at Steve, hoping this won't surpass his no privacy promise. They've done some pretty wild stuff together: partying, puking, cleaning the carpet... Period talk shouldn't be too far out of their wheelhouse. At least, not if Tasha wants to talk about it.

Tasha huffs and rounds the edge of the sofa. She stands beside the arm, leaning her hip against it for a moment, before finally deciding to sit down, as far away from Steve as possible.

"I..." James starts, assuming it's his responsibility to keep the conversation going. "I assumed you hadn't been, um. You know."

Tasha's 100 pounds soaking wet. In her usual cutoff shorts and tank tops, he'd give her 95. Maybe 92 if she's detoxing. James assumes she has something like female athlete triad going on, except without the athlete. He doesn't like to think she's just too skinny to go through... normal biological processes. If he blames the drugs, sees them as wrecking her body instead of bringing her solace, then he'll have to turn eyes on himself, and there's no way in hell he wants to do that.

"Smart one," Tasha says. "And exactly how much thought do you give to the functioning of my uterus?"

Steve gives an 'oh shit' face, looking from James to Tasha and back again as if wondering how he's been so thick headed. James agrees, but is also relieved, in a way, that his boyfriend hasn't been thinking about his sister in, well, that way.

"Seeing as I have, more than once, pulled you out of an R-rated situation with iffy consent, and you have yet to become pregnant--" James starts.

"Yeah, ok, you don't have to..." Tasha shakes her head.

James decides not to stop his momentum. "Do you know how much sex you're having? How often you're using protection?"

"I said, you don't have to." Tasha glares at him. "I don't have one. A cycle, or whatever. I can't get knocked up."

"Well, I figured that, but you can still get an STD--

"I don't think you're hearing me," Tasha says. "I don't have one. I haven't. Like, ever."

"But--what?" James squints and cocks his head. "What about, what was it? Cheerleading camp?"

"That stupid summer program when I was 16?" Tasha bites her lip. "Yeah, that was a lie."

"You're losing me." Steve reminds them he's part of the conversation as well.

"What, didn't your mom send you to cheerleading camp when you were a sullen teen?" Tasha asks him, seemingly in all seriousness.

"Um. No." Steve withers a little under her stare. "There was a threat to beat it out of me with a bible when I was that age, but that never came to fruition."

"Mm. Fun times." Tasha scrubs her hair back from her face. "I told mom of the moment I started at camp, so then she couldn't go nuts about the moment I 'became a woman,' or whatever."

Tasha has always seemed like a little kid to James. Her stint at camp had only taken place... he quickly calculates... 3ish years ago. Tasha is a kid. She hasn't busted 20 years old yet. But, for the first time James wonders if other, more metaphorical factors are at play.

The idea quickly fades, though, when he remembers the actual topic at hand. "Ok, but Tash," James says. "What's actually going on right now?"

Tasha practically sinks into the couch cushions. She wraps both arms around her abdomen. "Blood," she says. "Kinda...everywhere."

"We'll clean the bathroom later," James says dismissively.

"And I'll do laundry," Steve offers. "I used to be the scrawny kid who got beat up a lot. I can do bloodstains."

"Not helping, babe," James tells him before Tasha can get a word in.

"Feel sick," Tasha admits, rather suddenly.

"Bathroom it is, then," James decides. "But, let's use mine."

Tasha seems to have turned into a shapeless blob on the corner of the couch, her chest meeting her thighs with her arms still wrapped around her stomach. Her face is in her knees, which James has to admit, would be easier to clean than the carpet.

"Come on," he says gently, taking Tasha's shoulder. "If you're gonna puke, don't do it here, please."

"But I already diiiiid," Tasha complains, drawing out the last word and adding the hiccup of a fake crying fit.

"Sorry." James hooks his flesh arm across Tasha's chest and lets her cling to him down the hall. He takes her into his and Steve's disorganized yet bleach-shined bathroom. Cleaning was practically Steve's hobby. Yet keeping down the clutter? Not his strong suit.

Unsure of exactly what kind of sick his sister intends to be, he sets her down, fully clothed, on the toilet, which, of course, has the seat up. Then he dives for the trash can and shoves it into Tasha's chest.

She gives James an appreciative glare, then sets her chin on the edge of the trash can, ostensibly to wait for an upcoming retch. James can practically see it, rising from the bottom of her spine, up her back, to her neck and throat before finally pushing a pitiful amount of spit and bile out of her mouth.

"Ok..." James sighs. If she's down to just that, she's been at it a while. Lost a lot of fluids already.

"Gatorade?" Steve asks in a chipper tone, putting voice to what James is thinking without a trace of delicacy.

"Hmph." Tasha spits. "If it'll... make it stop burning..."

"Lemme guess, vodka last night?" James tries to make her laugh. Maybe cough.

"Fuck you."

"Eh, we'll talk about that later," James says, hoping he doesn't sound threatening. "For now, how about I go with you?" James pulls on Steve's arm and heads for the bathroom door.

"Hey, you said no privacy here..." Tasha's irritated and sickly voice trails after them.

"Yeah, well, puking people aren't allowed to leave the bathroom," James says. "That's the house rule that trumps all the others."

"But I puke on the couch all the time--"

"That's because it's too hard to get your fucking limp-ass octopus body into the bathroom in the first place." James rolls his eyes. "Just sit tight."

He quickly drags Steve into the kitchen. "Ok," he says. "You have to know about this stuff. You took health class in high school, right?"

"I've lived with a woman," Steve reminds James, a little shamefully. "But Peggy was super private. You know, like inhibited, about, like, um..."

"Yeah, I get it." James shrugs. Then, "Did you know you can stem a nosebleed with a tampon?"

"Why would I?"

"I don't know..." James shakes his head.

"Why do you?" Steve looks a little take aback now.

"The field. Desert air's pretty damn dry."

"Ah. Ok."

"We'd get donations of shit from the states. Care packages, Costco overstock, you know. Just, whatever. When we got pads and stuff, whoever was unloading the box would just hold them over their head and yell 'who needs them?'"

"And I'm assuming people would just raise their hands?" Steve postulates.

"Yup." James pops the P. "No privacy. Everyone knows everyone else's bathroom habits. When you're deep in the field, there's no men's and women's facilities. Half the time the privies don't even have doors."

"Ok." Steve nods. "Experience, then. You have lots of experience."

James shrugs again. "You have to be chill, ok?" He opens the fridge and pulls out two bottles of Gatorade. He holds one to either side of Steve's neck, as if to physically cool him. "This is, like, super weird and awkward for her. She's really scared, I think, and her brave face just looks...jerk-ish."

"Yeah." Steve takes the Gatorade. "I can be good with this. I really care about her, even if she doesn't think I do."

"I know you do," James says. "It's all in the presentation right now, though. She's skittish. But, also, for some reason, willing to talk. We have to tease it out. And you can't ruin it, ok?"

"Ok, ok." Steve seems to understand, even if he doesn't appreciate the words.

They head back to the bathroom, where Tasha has, for whatever reason, decided to heave into the toilet instead of the trash. She squats awkwardly, sitting on one heel. From the angle he's at, James can see a spreading stain on the back of Tasha's shorts, which has made an imprint on her ankle and the bottom of her foot.

"Don't move," James says, reaching for a towel.

"The fuck would I?" Tasha coughs, holding her stomach and moaning.

"Well, when you're done, stand up slowly and wipe your feet."

"...Shit..." Tasha spits. "Like I said. It's fucking everywhere."

"Yeah..." Menstrual blood, James has no experience with. But blood in general, yeah. It does get fucking everywhere. There's that first moment when the entire body and all its systems are still in shock, like when the arm is first blown off, and then all he can see is red. Even the bone that was white just a second ago is lost in a sea of scarlet--

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order," Steve says with a grin, clearly trying to be friendly, but missing out on one, or more, of the points. "You're not pregnant."

"Well, of course I'm not, you dingbat," Tasha replies, rolling her eyes so hard that James is sure it must give her a headache. If she doesn't already have one. "And besides. He used a condom."

"Wait," James says. He's been preoccupied by not looking at Steve. "You know that?" he pokes cautiously. "For sure?"

"...Yeah..."

"Every time?"

"To be honest," Tasha starts, spitting and pushing herself away from the toilet. She crab-walks to the towel, wipes her feet, then sits on it, criss-cross like a little kid. "I don't know if he actually gets off every time." She draws her mouth into a straight, defensive line.

"The fuck does that have to do with anything?" James asks.

Steve looks very much like he wants to get the bleach from the cabinet under the sink, pour it into one ear, tip his head, and see if it comes out the other.

"He pulls out," Tasha says bluntly. "And there's never any, you know. Gunk."

"Wait, he does both?" Steve's eyebrows disappear into his hair. "A condom and--"

"Ok, ok." James puts up his hands to shush them both. "And this is, what, this is your dealer we're talking about?"

"Yeah, I guess, if you want to call him that," Tasha says with a shrug.

"What else would we call him?" Steve now looks disgusted. "That'd be stupid to let him just, like, defile you every week."

"He doesn't--" Tasha starts, but then she hiccups, and maybe thinks better of what she was going to say. She still stares Steve down, though, then looks to James as if grasping at straws of support.

"He's, like, a manufacturer?" Tasha turns her gaze sideways.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." James puts his hand over his face. He'd assumed Tasha was getting her stuff on the street, through a framework of various interlopers. Now he's getting news that his kid sister is taking substances thrown together in some coed's bathtub? This is too much.

"Tash--" James starts, trying hard to keep his bubbling anger and concern from spilling over.

"He's a PhD candidate," Tasha says defensively. In Chemistry. And--" her eyes flicker from side to side as she seems to wonder what's appropriate to spill. "I won't tell you his name. But... I'll tell you that he got kicked off the football team for being too violent, but he still wears his green jersey all the time to prove how much better and calmer he's become since that happened, which was only in the freshman year of his undergrad..." Tasha babbles on.

The more she defends the guy, the more James hates him. He feels bad for him a little, slinging synthesized crack to get by. He feels better for Tasha, knowing that what she's taking is most probably pure. But the sex thing is--

"It's kinda creepy," Steve says, taking the words right from James's mouth. "Like, how much older than you is he?"

"I don't know." Tasha shrugs. "Not that much, I don't think. Started school early, finished fast. And I'm not sure this is his first post-graduate program..."

"Maybe shouldn't've added that last part," James says, screwing up his eyes. "So he's had, like, however long to prey on girls who are barely legal. Who might not even be legal..."

"Well, I'm legal, and I can do what I want." Tasha crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"Yeah," James sighs. "Unfortunately."

"But what about the thing with the handcuffs? The gang rape? Losing your bra?" Steve blurts out.

"Wait, you..." Tasha's eyes flash with anger. "You told him?"

"What did I say about privacy?" James quickly reminds her. "The non-puking kind? And, um," He looks to Steve. "Maybe a little respect?"

"Sorry," Steve mutters. "But--I really do--"

"I don't really remember that stuff," Tasha says.

James studies her face, but he can't tell if she's lying.

"Probably just party stuff that got out of hand."

'You mean you were too stoned to know the difference between your regular and some random dude off the street,' James thinks. 'What do you do at parties? And how the fuck do you slip past me?'

"He's your pimp, too, isn't he?" Steve asks, pointing at Tasha rather accusatorially, in James's opinion.

"No!" Tasha leans forward and brings her arms down to cover her clearly still sore abdomen. "Bruce wouldn't--" She swallows. "I didn't-- You didn't hear--"

James hasn't been a student long enough to know who was on the football team 4, 5, 6-odd years ago. He supposes he could look it up, crossing the name with accounts of any violent incident that amount of time ago. He's not sure he wants to, though he'll probably wind up looking it up later. Either that, or Steve will. James still has his ex-mil connections, a few of which were absorbed into the local police force. Steve, on the other hand, is better with social media and navigating the niceties of such mysteries as SnapChat and TikTok.

"Ok, fine," James says, just ameliorate his sister's panic.

"He doesn't even drug me at parties," Tasha goes on, probably unaware of how terribly young and desperate she sounds, making lame-ass excuses so she can keep her boy toy.

"And you've had other guys who did?" Steve asks incredulously, even though James shakes his head frantically at him to try to get him to shut up.

"You know Rumlow?" Tasha asks, since apparently she's now all about spilling names.

James shakes his head, but Steve screws up his eyes and says in a disgusted voice, "him?"

"Yeah..." Tasha sighs and looks down at her fingernails, which are stained rust-red at the root. "Remember the night I didn't come home?"

"Yeah, and scared the living shit out of us because your phone was off," James fills in the blanks.

"Well, I didn't turn it off."

"You mean that asshole kept you overnight without any means of getting yourself out of there?" Steve looks downright sick. "I mean, I know he looks slimy, but that?"

"I think Maria accidentally slept on the couch and found me at, like, 6am trying to stick my head in the linen closet because I couldn't find the bathroom." Tasha laughs, though the situation is anything bur funny.

"And I was so pissed at her for having you out all night..." James trails off.

"Yeah, maybe respect my choices a little more?" Tasha glares at him. "I mean, Maria's studying to become an EMT now. You can't think that badly of her."

'Great,' James thinks. 'Someone who'll drug Tasha to the gills every weekend.' She'll be less likely to overdose, but James has seen it all too often in the field. Newly minted medical personnel eager to sow off their skills and rushing into action.

"Yeah," James says, trying not to smirk. "So you got a girlfriend and a boyfriend now?"

"Ew, no," Tasha replies. "Friends with...benefits, I guess. If you even want to call it that. Folks who look out for each other, using a barter system?"

"Did you recently take World History?" James can't help but poking at her vocabulary.

"Fucking-a, I don't know. Once I pass, it's in my past."

"That's actually a good motto," Steve points out.

"Anyway," James says, bringing the conversation back to topic. "None of your...friends... are invited to this house."

"It's not like I want to bring them over for dinner," Tasha replies. "I guess drop off and pickup might happen, since, well, you know now, and I don't have a car." She shrugs. "Cool?"

James hates the idea of someone inebriated driving a car in which his sister is a passenger, despite the fact that he's done it before. Regularly, actually. Maybe he just hates the idea of the driver being someone who Tasha just fucked. The air might be heavy between them. They might smell like each other's deodorant and musk. They might kiss each other good bye. The thought makes James's stomach turn.

But, "sure," he says. "That's fine.” At least she'll come home.

James shares a glance with Steve, which seems to confirm the same sentiments, "Yeah," Steve echoes, as if his opinion counts for anything. "Fine."

[sdottkrames]

Welcome Home My Boy (Welcome Home My Son)

✍🏼By: me, @sdottkrames

🎁For: @skeeter-110 for the @friendly-neighborhood-exchange

⭐️Rating: general audiences

💜Relationships: Tony Stark & Peter Parker, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, May Parker (au where she’s not Peter’s aunt)

Summary: Tony Stark’s life is missing something. Peter Parker is an orphan who wants a family. And Pepper Potts comes up with an idea that brings them together

Read on AO3: Here

“Do you have a family?”

“Yes. And I will see them when I leave here. You Stark?”

Tony’s mind flashed first to Pepper. Then Obadiah, Rhodey, Happy. But the memories exploded with the car crash that had killed his parents and faded along with the life in the eyes of Edwin Jarvis. He had no family. He’d kept it that way, distancing himself with booze and sunglasses and a falsely confident persona, all to protect himself from being hurt even more when he inevitably lost them, too.

“No.”

 Ho Yinsen had changed Tony’s life in more ways than one, but perhaps the greatest change had been through that admittance he’d been forced to give. 

Ever since that whispered “no,” there had been something stirring in Tony’s chest. He’d squashed it down vehemently when a black Tetris puzzle crawled across his chest and neck like some evil game. When he’d been freed of that, he’d found a little family in his best friend and his (now) girlfriend who hadn’t let themselves be pushed too far away by his fears and insecurities. 

Then his family had unexpectedly and, at first, unwelcomingly, grown. But soon the five other superheroes had forced their way into his heart and home. He rearranged the tower to house the new avengers, and found himself participating in weekly team training exercises and helping Steve Rogers of all people cook for team dinners. Game nights and movie nights and pool parties became part of the norm and Tony found himself slowly working through the anxiety and fear that carrying a nuke through a wormhole and falling almost to his death left in its wake.

 His life had never been more full of family. But something was still missing.

Then he’d had the dream.

***

Pepper was pregnant. 

She came to him with tears in her eyes, excitement and joy warring with worry and fear on her face, and showed him the positive test. 

“Tony,” she whispered, and he found himself speechless. The joy he felt spread all the way through his chest and stilled his tongue so he answered the only way he knew how: he swept his beautiful wife into his arms, shoulders shaking a little with a joyful sob that broke through.

“You are?” He finally choked out, and saw the fear and worry leave the battlefield of her eyes and she nodded.

“We- we gotta get a room together! A crib and, and paint. What color? Grey? You like grey? That’s neutral right? Then it doesn’t matter what they are- boy or girl or even if they decide to say eff off to gender norms.”

Pepper cut him off with an ecstatic kiss, and Tony felt that stirring for something different, something more, settle and dissipate. 

He’d finally found what was missing.

*** 

Tony woke up in tears, mourning something he wanted with every fiber of his heart, but that he feared he would never be good enough for.

He mentioned it to Pepper, and she was the one that came up with the idea.

“Tony, I want you to listen to me, and get this into your head. We’ve both talked about how we aren’t ready for kids, but I need you to know that it isn’t because I don’t think you’ll be a wonderful dad. When we decide to have kids, you will be the best dad those kids could ask for. I believe that with all my heart.”

He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting himself hear her words and believe them.

“What if you volunteered at an orphanage or something?” she said. “Get around kids, fulfil that desire until we both feel ready for a family of our own?”

“That’s not a half bad idea.”

Pepper had left him to his thoughts then. Once he got that look on his face, she knew that he wouldn’t let it go.

Sure enough, Tony found an orphanage in severe disrepair and desperate need of some support. After a few meetings with his teammates to make sure they were okay with little kids coming to the tower for a bit (Natasha and Bruce had thought it sweet, Steve had smiled and got a look in his eye like he was already imagining hanging out with the little ones, and Clint and Rhodey had all agreed enthusiastically) and filing all the paperwork with the best lawyers he could find, he’d gone to the orphanage to offer his help.

May, the sweet but slightly frazzled orphanage caretaker, had burst into tears right there.

“I- I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless,” she said, chuckling through grateful sobs.

“No thanks needed. I’ll take the kiddos off your hands for a couple months while my guys fix this place up. You just tell them exactly how you want it and what you need. We’ll take care of everything.”

Three weeks, several panic attacks, and more trips to Toys “R” Us and Ikea than he wanted to admit to, Tony had one of the lower floors of the tower completely arranged to house seven small children and was preparing to welcome them into his home.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Tony,” Pepper whispered, hearing his breath hitch as the car he’d sent to pick up the kids pulled in.

“Yeah,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Just fine. Let’s go meet our new roommates.”

***

Peter Parker could not believe his luck. 

When his parents had died in a horrible car crash a year ago and he’d ended up in the orphanage, he’d been labeled as having bad luck. Every little trip they went on, something happened. He’d accidentally let the class snake out at school (May had told him about Harry Potter, and how he'd let a snake out, too, which made Peter feel better). And there was the time that he’d gotten left behind during an outing at Central park, and the time a bird had pooped on his ice cream while he was eating it outside with his best friend Ned, and the time that-

Well, you get the picture.

Joselyn called it “Parker Luck,” but she wasn’t trying to be mean. She just talked even more than Peter did, and tended to say exactly what she thought. She was one of Peter’s best friends at the orphanage, and besides, she wasn’t wrong. Peter did tend to have some not so great things happen to him.

But not today.

Today was the greatest day of his life, because today was the day that all the kids were moving into the Stark Tower. 

Three weeks ago, Tony Stark himself had come to the orphanage. Peter remembered May crying and he hadn’t known why. He’d drawn her a picture to make her happy, but she explained that they were good tears, and had told him and all the kids that they would be leaving for a few months to live at Stark Towers. 

Peter had nearly peed his pants in excitement, and he was quivering with it again as the car pulled up and he could see both Tony Stark and Pepper Potts through the glass door. 

One by one, each kid got out of the car while a small swarm of workers gathered their things to take up for them.

“Hello, everyone,” Pepper greeted them with a smile, and Peter felt his cheeks heat up. Tony was his hero, but he also knew how smart and wonderful Pepper Potts was. 

“Welcome,” Tony said, grinning.

As soon as the man spoke, Peter couldn’t help the way his eyes went wide and his mouth popped open with a gasp. He was everything the boy had imagined, standing confidently in a sharp black suit with those signature sunglasses on his face.

The two adults began to explain the rules of the tower as they took the children on a small tour. They introduced the security guards, explained who to ask for help if they got lost or hurt, where they were allowed to go and what areas were off limits, and how they would be getting to school. Peter didn’t pay too much attention though. He was too excited, taking in the sight of the tower, his hero, and thinking about how cool it was that this would be his home for a little while. He was certain nobody was luckier.

“Mr. Stark?” one of the other boy’s- Mikey- asked when they passed one of the labs they were being shown on their little tour.

“Yes?”

“Where’s your Iron Man suit?”

Tony chuckled. “It’s in my private lab, away from anybody’s hands that aren’t mine. Don’t want anything breaking them.”

“Not the Mark 50,” Peter asked softly before he could stop himself.

“Huh?” Tony’s piercing gaze was turned to him. 

Squirming under the sudden attention, he tugged on his shirt. “W-well, the nanite suit, sir. Unless a person broke the actual nanite robot, the suit could just be reformed.”

“You know about nanites?”

Chocolate curls flying, the boy nodded enthusiastically. He couldn’t help himself once someone got him talking about the things he loved. “Yeah! I did a report on them a month ago. I read all your papers on them, and I even started trying to make my own so that I could-” Blushing furiously under his hero’s appraisal, Peter cut himself off and ducked his head. “Sorry.”

But Tony Stark didn’t look angry. “I’m gonna give you a piece of advice, kid: never apologize for being the smartest in the room.” He winked. “You really read my work on nanotechnology?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m impressed.”

And Peter was grateful that his legs didn’t give out right then. He could hardly believe the compliment. He was dazed for the rest of the tour, soaking the praise in with a huge grin.

Eventually, they arrived at their floor. It was a large one, and after the Battle of New York, it had stood mostly empty. There was a spacious living area and a small kitchen, and then a hallway with three bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms.

“Now, you’re going to have to share,” Tony explained. “We don’t have seven rooms on this floor, but each room has a bed and desk for you.”

“You three girls will share a room while the boys will split up in twos,” Pepper added. She gestured to one of the rooms. “This one’s yours, girls. It’s a little bigger and we’ve put three beds in it. Boys, you can decide which of the other rooms you want and who you want to share it with.”

Joselyn, along with the other two girls Kaylie and Hazel, dragged their suitcases and chatted excitedly as they entered their room.  If it had been possible, Peter would have roomed with Joselyn...or Ned. But those two not being an option, he looked to the boys.

He was the oldest out of all of them. There was the four year old Greyson and the six year old twins Mikey and David. It was fairly obvious that the twins would stick together, so Peter took Grey’s hand.

“Can I be your roommate, buddy?” The little boy nodded enthusiastically. “It looks like the twins took the middle room, so we get this one!”

The boy genius led his new roommate through the door and for the second time that day felt his jaw drop. 

The room was huge, and the beds looked like they were clouds, piled high with pillows Peter was almost certain were the most comfortable things on the planet. Grey seemed equally as overwhelmed, walking over to inspect the bed.

“Can you help me put my clothes away?” he asked, turning to the older boy.

“Sure.”

And slowly they got settled into this new chapter of their lives.

*** 

Tony was about ready to throw something at the wall, which meant that he needed to get out and move around, distract himself from the problem before he actually did break something. It wouldn’t be the first time, but he didn’t want a repeat of the great Potts meltdown of ‘09. 

Sighing, he stood up and stretched, letting a loud yawn out as he did before wandering out of the lab. 

It had been nearly a week with the little kiddos staying at the tower, and Tony had enjoyed having them so far. He even invited them up for dinner and a movie the other day. Most of them had been totally starstruck and it had made him smile. He figured they might provide a decent distraction, so he wandered down to the “baby floor,” as he called it. 

He was delighted when the first face he saw was Peter Parker’s.

The boy was shy, but also unfailingly kind. Tony had seen him take the hand of the smallest boy when the two twin boys ran into their room, making the little one feel welcome and loved; had watched as the kid listened to his friend Joselyn, who tended to ramble, with a patient and kind smile, never seeming annoyed by how verbose she was; and had smiled as the kid let one of the other girls hold his hand during a part in Snow White that scared her.

He was exactly the sort of distraction that Tony needed.

“Hey, Pete. How’re you doing?” he greeted, smiling a little as the boy’s cheeks turned pink and his lips lifted in a small, excited grin when he was called by name.

“G-good, Mr. Stark. How are you?”

“I’m doing good. A little frustrated with a project I’m working on, so I figured I’d take a break and come see you kiddos. How was school? Learn anything good?”

Peter’s eyes lit up as they had the first day the older genius had met the kid and they bonded over nanotechnology. Tony smiled as the chatter about 2nd grade science (they were learning about cells) and math (how was an 8 year old already doing functions?!) swept his frustration right out the door with its soothing familiarity. He didn’t have to figure anything out or meet any deadline. All the kid wanted was someone to listen.

So Tony did, oohing and mmhmming in all the right places, until the kid asked: “So what project were you working on before? Maybe I can help so you’re not so frustrated? can I?”

He’d known how sweet Peter was, but Tony was still taken aback by the kindness. “Well, if you want to-“

“Sure!” The little eager beaver said quickly. “What’s the project?”

Hesitating only for a second, Tony explained how Clint’s explosive arrows weren’t working properly, detonating too soon because of an unstable chemical inside them.

With a few graphs and a little breaking down of some more technical terms, Peter understood the problem.

“Let me think a little bit, okay?”

“Sure, buddy,” Tony chuckled. “However long you need.”

And he let the kid think while he checked some emails and wandered into the kitchen to grab him and his mini genius a granola bar.

He stopped for a moment before joining Peter at the table, his steps halted by the adorable crease in the boy’s brow and the way his tongue poked through his teeth as he drew some diagram.

When Tony finally pulled himself together to sit down against and offer Peter the snack, the kid announced: “I got it!”

Surprised, Tony raised an eyebrow and motioned for Peter to continue.

“What if you use your nanites? You could engineer them in a way that they wouldn’t jostle or affect the catalyst. Clint could control when they fell away, which would cause the explosion to happen.”

He pushed the little picture he’d drawn to illustrate, compete with a stick figure Clint Barton in purple (Hawkeye’s theme color), and Tony let his jaw go slack.

“Kid, honestly, I’m impressed. That’s genius. How in the world did you think of that?”

Peter flushed under the praise, and explained the process to Tony, the latter encouraging him whenever he seemed self conscious about his rambling. 

“You, my friend, are one of the smartest kids I know. Would you like to help me build these arrows?”

Peter’s eyes widened to the size of a dinner plate. “What?”

Tony chucked. “They’re your idea, kiddo. It’s only right that you should help me make them. I’ll handle all the explosive parts, but I think you should help engineer the nanites.”

“I would love to!” The boy choked out.

“Great. After school tomorrow, come to my lab. Jarvis will know where to take you.”

“Okay!”

Tony stayed a little while longer, enjoying talking science with Peter, before being called to other projects. He was grateful for the distraction though, because he couldn’t wait to see the look on the kid’s face when he saw the lab.

And, boy, Peter did not disappoint.

When Jarvis opened the door, Peter’s jaw dropped and he practically flew to one of the Ironman suits. Talking a mile a minute, he inspected every inch of the lab. 

“Oh my gosh, what’s this?! Wait, no way, is that- it is! Mr. Stark this is amazing! And woah look at that!”

Tony just chuckled at the kid’s enthusiasm, and pulled his attention to the reason for their working together after a few more minutes’ exploration. 

The two spent hours in the lab together. Tony hadn't ever thought he would enjoy sharing his lab with anybody, let alone an 8-year-old child, but Peter was different. He found himself wanting Peter to come help him more often.

This is only temporary. A cynical voice inside him said.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be. Maybe I can give him a real internship and a real job? Said the more hopeful part of his brain.

A seven year old with a job. Yeah, that’s a great idea.

Tony shook his head to clear off the thoughts. He would enjoy the lab time he did get with this kid that had somehow wormed into his iron heart. He’d just have to baby proof the lab first.

***

Peter fought back the tears, trying hard not to let Flash’s taunting get to him. He kept walking, ignoring his classmate’s teasing behind his back as he nearly ran out the front door.

“Hi, Mr. Happy,” he greeted, trying to keep the sniffling out of his voice. The man Mr. Stark had assigned to drive him to and from school didn’t like little kids. (At least, Peter thought he didn’t. He wasn’t mean, but he seemed to grunt and growl more than use really words.)

“Hey,” Happy grunted, as was his usual greeting, and Peter didn’t notice the concern in the man’s eyes when he didn’t answer right away as he blinked back tears. 

The drive to the tower was quiet except for the occasional snuffle from Peter, who was trying to his sadness. He hated when Flash was mean, especially about his parents. He missed his parents and his Aunt and Uncle. It was right of Flash to bring them up, but there wasn’t much Peter could do about it.

When he came into the tower, he was surprised to see Mr. Stark there, waiting for him in the living room. Usually the man had him come straight to the lab, but they hadn’t been scheduled to work together that day.

“Hey, kid,” Tony greeted.

“H-hi. Are we having a Lab day today?” Peter tried to keep the hope out of his voice. Tinkering around the lab with his hero was exactly what he needed to cheer him up. 

“I was thinking we might spend some time in the lab, yeah. If you’re up for it?”

“Yeah, i'd love a lab day, sir!” Peter said, smiling his first genuine smile since Flash had said the word “orphan” at lunch.

“Yeah? Let’s go, young padawan.” 

Peter gave a small smile at the Star Wars reference. Mr. Stark wouldn’t have known that reference if Peter hadn’t rambled about the franchise one of their last Lab days, which then led to the man insisting they watch the movies together so Peter could “make sure he understood what was happening.” He was pleased Tony seemed to have enjoyed the endeavor! The pleasant feeling followed him as they went to the lab and began working on the housing unit for the nanites in Clint’s arrows.

Tony, however, kept a watchful eye on his little friend.

Happy had texted saying that something was off with the kid, and while Tony had no experience with children prior to the last few weeks, he did have experience with being a genius and an orphan. He figured tinkering would be a good distraction, and he’d wager he was correct after seeing the look of relief and excitement on Peter’s face when he was invited to the lab.

It wasn’t until they had the housing unit almost complete that Tony decided to actually broach the subject.

Though working with his hands seemed to have stemmed the tears Happy reported seeing in the car, the boy was definitely off. He sniffled more than once, and didn’t seem as talkative or enthusiastic as he normally did. There wasn’t a single excited ramble about his friends Ned or Jocelyn, or whatever the last thing they learned in science was.

“So, Peter. How was your day. You haven’t said much.”

Tony didn’t miss the tears that misted the boys eyes slightly 

“It was fine,” he said, turning back to his project with a barely concealed sniffle.

Tony felt slightly awkward and unsure. He’d never had a conversation like this with a little kid before. Heck, he was barely getting to the point of speaking openly to his girlfriend and best friend about some things. But if he wanted to someday have kids, he figured he’d need to start getting used to stuff like this. With a deep breath, he took the plunge.

“Buddy, if you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s okay. But, uh, if you do want to talk about whatever is bothering you, you can. I mean, I’m all ears or whatever. I can blast or make fun of or drown in ice cream nearly any problem you have.”

Peter hesitantly turned towards him. “I-it’s really nothing. I’m f-fine.”

“I’m real sure, kid,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously, is everything okay?” The hesitation in the boy’s eyes warred with the desire to tell what had happened. “C’mon. Out with it! The sooner I know who or what I need to blast, make fun of, or drown in ice cream, the better we’ll both feel.”

“W-well It’s this kid n-named Flash.” Peter began twisting his shirt into knots as he finally gave in. “He was just making fun of me for not having parents and he just b-bothered me more today, I guess.”

Tony’s heart squeezed in sympathy. He had plenty experience of his own being an orphan and dealing with bullies.

“Since I can’t blast a kid with my repulsars, although he maybe deserves it for being such a jerk,” he finally answered, “and I don’t feel right making fun of him, either, I’m going to settle with drowning it in ice cream. I know a great place just up the street, whaddya say?”

There was a small smile, which Tony saw as an absolute win, and then a shy nod, and Tony whisked the boy away for ice cream.

“Ya know, kid, none of what this Flash kid says is true,” he said as he licked his mint chip cone. “You’re not unlovable, or unworthy of parents. You didn’t do anything wrong the day they died. You couldn’t have been a better son. Trust me. All those things are utter nonsense.”

Peter stared at him dumbfounded. “H-how did you know?” He whispered.

“I’m an orphan too, ya know. I lost my parents many years ago, but I definitely know a little of what you’re feeling and dealing with.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

“Anytime, kid. Anytime,” Tony said. “Now, are you drowning enough in ice cream? Do you need more chocolate sauce? You look like you need more chocolate sauce.”

Peter giggled, and Tony couldn’t help the slow smile that stole across his face as he went to go get more chocolate sauce, determined to keep that little boy smiling as long as possible.

***

“Um, can you find it in an aquarium?”

The science genius duo was enjoying their usual time in the lab and Tony had begun a session of “I’m thinking of an animal.” His animal was a hippo, which he’d felt fairly confident about until this last question.

“I don’t know, kiddo, I’ve never been to an aquarium!”

Dropping his jaw and his screwdriver, Peter spluttered out an incredulous, “what?”

“I’ve never been to an aquarium.” Tony shrugged.

“Oh, man. You don’t know what your missing, Mr. Stark! There’s fish and turtles and sometimes even hippos and alligators. My favorite are the turtles.” Peter's Big brown eyes widened and Tony grinned in anticipation of the child-like excitement that was sure to follow in whatever story the kid was going to tell next. “One time, there was this huge sea turtle and it came and swam next to the glass right where I was sitting for literally five minutes. My mom took tons of pictures. It was so cool!”

Tony chuckled. “That sounds really cool, bud.”

“It was! Did you know that some turtles only lay eggs every four years?”

They continued working and sharing weird animal facts and Tony was again startled by the desire to make this little kid smile. 

“Jarvis, buddy, can you look up the nearest aquarium?” He asked when Peter had left to go to bed.

“That would be the New York Aquarium.”

“Does it have turtles?”

“It does.”

“Hippos?”

“No, sir. But the Philadelphia Aquarium does.”

“Get two tickets to the New York one for this Saturday. And clear my schedule for that day.”

“With pleasure, sir.”

A few days later, Tony was nearly bouncing with excitement as he waited for Jarvis to bring Peter up to the penthouse for them to go to the aquarium.

“Mr. Stark, is everything okay?” The boy asked as he exited the elevator.

“Yeah, kiddo. Everything’s just fine. We’re going on a little field trip, though.”

“We are?” Peter’s eyes lit up. “Where to?”

“That’s a surprise!” Peter’s grin widened to match Tony’s. “My schedule’s all clear. You good to go?”

With a floppy-haired nod, they were off. 

The little boy had no clue where they were going, and Tony indulged 20 questions, but by the time they arrived, Peter was no closer to figuring it out.

“Wait...an aquarium?” He gasped when he got out and took in the building.

“They don’t have hippos or alligators, but they just got a couple turtles. I figured after hearing about how wonderful aquariums are, I should try and go to one, and I thought you could show me around.”

Peter didn’t hesitate one moment, unabashedly grabbing Tony’s hand and pulling him into the aquarium. They presented their tickets and the younger genius continued to drag the older genius around from exhibit to exhibit with huge smiles on both their faces. Like Peter, Tony’s favorite part were the turtles. The way they gravefully swam through the water and their kind faces made him feel peaceful and warm and fuzzy. And Peter’s little hand in his while he spouted off lots of facts about turtles made him feel even more so.

But the kids were leaving within the next couple weeks, and those pesky thoughts were back, marring the joy a little. Tony dutifully beat them back, aided by the peaceful feeling of being with Peter and the kid’s head modded off onto his shoulder on the way back to the tower.

***

Peter had nightmares more than he wanted to admit. 

They woke him up shaking with his heart beating so fast and hard he could hear it in his ears. The worst part about them, though, was how they would linger, seared into his eyelids. Scary images of his parents and aunt and uncle as their plane went down in flames replayed themselves over and over. 

Sniffling back tears, Peter decided to quietly sneak out of the room. He didn’t want to wake his little roommate.

“Hello, Peter,” Jarvis greeted, making him jump even though he knew the AI well. (Tony had even started helping Peter code his own when the boy showed interest.)

“H-Hey, Jarvis.”

“It is quite late for you to be up. Or early, depending how you look at it. Are you well?”

“Just can’t sleep. I’m heading for a snack, that’s all.”

“I think I have something that might help, if you’ll follow me, sir.”

The AI lit up a pathway and Peter shrugged before following it. He thought Jarvis would lead him to the kitchen, but instead he found himself staring at a door that definitely wasn’t for a kitchen. He’d never been to this part of the tower.

“Uh, where am I?”

“You’re outside Mr. Stark’s bedroom.”

His stomach flipped like a monkey after a banana, and Peter stumbled backwards. 

“Jarvis,” he hissed. “I can’t wake Iron Man up! Why’d you take me here. I thought you were bringing me to the kitchen for a snack!”

“I did not say that I was, only that I had something I thought would help.”

“No, I’m not going in there. I’ll find the kitchen myself,” he said, backing away as quickly as he could. 

But it was too late. 

A light flicked on and before Peter could turn around, the door opened to reveal a sweatpants-clad Tony Stark.

“Peter? What’s going on?”

“I’m so sorry Mr. Stark.” Peter’s voice was shaking and tear were burning his eyes. He’d gotten closer to the man the last month and a half they’d been together, but this was beyond embarrassing. He couldn’t ask Iron man to help him with his nightmares. “I couldn’t sleep and thought Jarvis was leading me to a kitchen for a snack.”

“No worries kid. C’mon. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Y-You really don’t have to do that, Mr. Stark. I’m okay, I swear.”

Tony rolled his eyes, ruffling Peter’s curls and throwing an arm around the kid’s shoulders to lead him down the hallway. “It’s not a problem, buddy. I don’t mind cooking.”

So Peter was lead to the kitchen, and he was surprised how much better he was feeling not being alone. This was the second time Mr. Stark had saved him from being alone like this, and it felt really nice. He would miss it when he went back to living at the orphanage in a few weeks when the renovations were done. Sometimes, he would imagine what it would be like if Mr. Stark was his real dad, or adopted him, but he knew that would never happen. He usually tried to stop those daydreams fast.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark. That looks really good,” Peter said, breaking out of his thoughts to take the toast with butter and jelly that he was offered.

It was quiet as Peter ate, Tony sitting next to him in companionable silence. Once the plate was empty, the bolder genius spoke up. “Again, kiddo, you do not need to explain, but if you want to talk about what’s got you up at nearly 2 in the morning, I’m all ears.”

Peter felt tears well up in his eyes. He had done so well not crying in front of his hero and he didn’t want to start now. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists to keep the tears from falling, but he was grateful to talk to someone.

“Um, I keep having dreams about- about my parents. The, uh, the day they went on the plane that crashed? And they just make me sad.” He shrugged. “S-Sometimes it’s hard to go back to sleep after I have one.”

“I have dreams like that, too,” Tony whispered.

Just like when the man had practically read his mind, saying exactly what Peter had needed to hear when Flash made fun of him the last week, a shock went up Peter’s spine. “Really?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, I do. I lost my parents, too. Car accident. I also have dreams about being stuck in Afghanistan, in that cave, or in the wormhole. They’regetting better, though.”

“That must be really scary, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, patting the man’s arms.

“Heh. I’m supposed to be the one comforting you, kiddo.”

“Well, we all need comfort sometimes.”

“Thank you, buddy. How are you feeling?”

Peter looked up shyly. “Better. Thanks for the food.”

“No problem. Wanna watch something? That usually helps me fall back asleep.”

“Okay!”

They chose Iron Giant, and Peter felt so comfortable as Tony threw a blanket over him and pulled him under his arm. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed.

Tony watched as the little boy fell asleep, his heart melting and wrapping around his finger even more. After a few minutes to make sure the tyke would stay asleep if moved, he slipped his arms around the little body and carried him up to bed.

As he closed the door and saw Peter’s chocolate curls poking over the blanket, his tears prickled with tears at the realization he would lose this in a couple days.

Shut up he vehemently told that pesky little voice, and went back to bed, but didn’t get much sleep.

*** 

There were tears in everyone’s eyes, but Tony was going to blame it on May, who greeted him with tears of gratitude. All the kids gave her hugs before running off to explore the new building, chatting excitedly as they ran to the new beds and play area.

“Mr. Stark-“

“Tony, please, May.”

She smiled. “Tony. Seriously, though, I cannot thank you enough. You have no idea how much this means to us. How much this means to me.”

See, this is why he was blaming May for the misty eyes. “Not a problem. The pleasure was all mine. It’s a special group of kiddos you got there.”

“They really are. And thanks to your help, the orphanage got some media attention, and now I’ve got people interested in the twins and a couple of the girls! I hope they all find good homes.”

“That’s amazing, May!” Tony said, and he meant it. Every single one of the kids had found a way into his heart, but none more than Peter. And the thought of that little boy going to another home caused another round of tears to come, though he quickly blinked them away.

“Mr. Stark!” As if called by Tony’s thoughts, Peter came bounding up, throwing a hug around the man’s waist. “This is amazing. Not as amazing as the tower, obviously, but this is a close second. Thank you so much!”

Tony hugged the boy back and assured him that he was happy to help, all the while trying to pretend his heart wasn’t breaking.

***

“Tony, this is ridiculous,” Pepper said, marching into his lab after the fourth day in a row of him being there. 

“What is, dear?” He asked, deflecting as usual.

Pepper raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her crisp blue suit. Even under her scrutinous glare, Tony had to admit she was gorgeous.

“You know what, dear. Peter’s gone and you’re back to moping in the lab.”

Acid curled his stomach, and he had to look away. “Well, what do you want me to do. Yeah, I miss the kid, and I’m trying to work through it. Just...just give me few more days.”

“You won’t survive another few days, Tony. You’re not invincible, you know.” She came over and ran a comforting hand through his hair, and his eyes closed of their own accord, trying to hide the tears. “Tony, what if...what if we adopt Peter?”

His eyes shot open. “What?”

“What if we adopt Peter?” She repeated. “You clearly love him, and I’ve watched him with you. He loves you, too. And I...I don’t know him as well as you do, but he’s so sweet and it’s impossible not to love him.”

“You’re serious?”

Pepper smiled. “100%. Tony, you’re ready. We’re ready. Let’s start a family.”

And just like in his dream, Tony couldn’t say or anything except pick his girlfriend up and spin her around.

“Thank you,” he said, tears in his eyes again. “I love you.”

***

Peter loved the new orphanage. He really did. The beds were as comfortable as the tower’s, and there were lots of cool toys and a new playground.

But Mr. Stark wasn’t there.

Peter tried to deny how much he missed him. How much he missed his own dad and how Mr. Stark helped fill that void a little with lab days and movie nights. He’d even helped Peter when Flash was mean and he’d had a nightmare.

And he missed him.

It also didn’t help that Jocelyn and Greyson got adopted, and the twins might be as well. People had been buzzing at the orphanage ever since the renovations. The media had run a few stories on how the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist had taken in the group of orphans and funded the renovations of the building. People had been coming ever since, but none of them really connected with Peter.

He hated to admit it, but he compared all of them to Mr. Stark, and none of the fit. Besides, they all wanted the younger kids.

“Peter!” May called, interrupting his moping. “Come here, sweetie.”

“Coming, May!” 

He jumped off the swing set, running towards the orphanage, but screeched to a halt as he saw a familiar face. Two familiar faces.

“M-Mr. S-Stark? Mrs. Potts?” He stammered out. “W-what’re you doing here?”

“Hey, kiddo,” Tony greeted. He looked nervous- a hand running over his carefully defined goatee, feet shifting back and forth, fingers clasped with Pepper’s.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, buddy, everything’s fine. We, uh, we were wondering if,” he hesitated and Pepper squeezed his hand. “We would like to adopt you, Peter. If that’s something you’d be interested in?”

Shocked, Peter couldn’t say anything, which was a rare thing for him. Or so his parents used to say.

“Really?” He finally choked out.

“Yeah, sweetie,” pepper said, smiling kindly. Peter was surprised. He’d gotten close with Tony, but not as much with her.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Tony grinned at him. “Well, say yes, buddy! We got a room all ready for you and a team of the best lawyers to make it official if you want.”

“Yes!” Peter said, throwing himself into their arms. “Yes, I want to!”

Again, everybody was crying (happy tears) and once all the paperwork was filled out, Tony took Peter’s hand.

“Let’s go home,” he said, his heart at peace finally, the nagging sensation of something missing finally filled by the little boy who was now his little boy.

“Home,” Peter repeated, smiling. His new favorite word.

[mushyjellybeans]

Can’t Help Falling In Love

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Enemies turned to friends. Friends turned to lovers as a misunderstanding brings the two people who hated each other together. 

Warnings: Angst, Language, Bucky is a jerk and a bit of a bully sorry, fluff, implied smut.

Word Count: 3,466 (uhhh oops? Like seriously before I edited this it was at 1.5k LOL)

A/N: Nobody asked for this but I was in an angst/fluffy mood and I love these enemies to lovers AU’s so... I haven’t posted much in a while so this is my apology!! I have lots of requests to get through though and they are NEXT! This almost had smut but wasn’t in the mood to write it :( maybe for part 2?

Masterlist

You honestly couldn't fathom the real reason why James Barnes hated you so damn much. You didn't even need to speak for him to become pissed off at you, your presence was enough.

You've tried being nice, and you've tried asking Steve why his friend was such a jerk with you when he was lovely and kind to Wanda and even Natasha. "He doesn't hate you, Y/N. You're overreacting." Is was the only explanation you would receive.

It was Stark's weekly movie night, and for the first time in a long time, you were actually excited to sit down and relax with your friends. 

Walking in the common room with a bowl of caramel popcorn in your hand, you realized there were no free seats. Wanda and Vision occupied one couch, Nat and Bruce were snuggled on the loveseat, Tony was relaxing in his very expensive massage recliner chair. Steve was out at a bar with Sam and you were disappointed Bucky didn't go with them, bringing you to your current predicament. Either you could sit on the uncomfortable floor for a few hours, or suck it up and sit next to Barnes. The latter seemed more plausible. When Bucky saw you from his peripheral, he immediately kicked his legs up longways on the couch and you huffed, tempted to throw the damn popcorn at him and smash a vase over his head at the same time. He was making it difficult for you and you didn't understand why. 

"Can I sit, please?" You rolled your eyes to the ceiling. 

"No." He responded, his gaze fixated on the title screen on the TV.

"Fine." You exhaled as you sauntered towards him and sat on his legs. He hissed out in pain as your weight crushed his bones and for a moment you were happy you hurt him. 

Good, he deserved it! You beamed. 

When he realized neither of you was planning on leaving anytime soon, he retracted his legs and you bounced on the cushion underneath. 

For the rest of the night, Bucky didn't utter a word to you but you could sense he was beaming holes into the side of your face every once in a while. You ended up going to bed at midnight. 

You woke up later than usual and threw on some yoga pants and a tank top, making your way down to the kitchen where the rest of the team were already sat down at the dinner table eating their breakfast.

Bucky was making coffee in the kitchen when you walked in, and for a moment you considered leaving since it was just the two of you. He scowled in your direction and you rolled your eyes and walked to the pantry.

"Keep rollin' your eyes, they'll get stuck up in your brain." He sneered.

"Good morning to you too, James." You mumbled. As usual, he ignored your greeting. And then Natasha walked in grabbing a mug from the cabinet and pouring some hot black coffee.

"Good morning Nat. You look absolutely gorgeous today!" Bucky smiled. You watched their interaction carefully. Natasha greeted him back and you felt a pang of hurt in your chest. You sheepishly poured your cereal in a bowl and added some milk, you were about to take a seat on the barstool when Bucky grumbled.

"You're seriously eating here? I'm here and there's a fucking empty chair at the dining table, take your cereal and go and eat there!" He spat angrily.

"Buck she's entitled to eat here." Nat intervened, sick of his attitude towards you.

"No, she isn't!" You tried not to take his words so personally, you really did. Your lips quivered as a sob threatened to break out. You covered your mouth with your hand, your appetite quenched by his hateful words and bitterness. You sprinted on out of there, ignoring the concerned calls from the team.

You headed back to the only place you knew you were safe from Bucky, your room. You dropped face-first on your bed and screamed into your pillow. You ordinarily wouldn't let his words hurt you, and if he was being honest he was expecting you to fight back with your usual sarcasm or your typical eye roll you loved to give him so much. He didn't anticipate you just skipping breakfast and leaving.  

But you've just given up, accepted the fact he hates you and you're done trying, you're done with this job.

You question your role amongst the superheroes. You wondered if it was best to find your own place to live away from them, away from him and resign as an avenger and live a normal life like you desperately wanted.

It was clear he would never accept you as a friend, or even as a teammate. You had so much to think about, it was the weekend too so you gave yourself until Monday to come to a decision.

"Hey, has anyone seen Y/N?" Sam asked, grabbing the bowl of salad on the dinner table. There were some mumbles and the rest of them shook their head. Bucky lowered his gaze to his plate, his heart wrenched tightly in his chest as he reminisced over what he has done to you. 

You stayed in your room for the whole day. Skipping food and occasionally sneaking out for the odd bottle of water with FRIDAY's assistance. The team were worried about you. You didn't answer any of their texts and didn't acknowledge them when they stopped by your room. You knew Tony could have ordered your door to be knocked down if he wanted to. And you didn't know but Bucky had stopped by a couple of times too, but he had to keep up his facade.

It would be the next day when you came face to face with Bucky again. You woke early and decided to get some training done, a bad mistake on your part for doing it on an empty stomach since you started to feel dizzy and nauseous. 

You were jogging on the treadmill when he barged in through the doors in his shorts and tank top, he went straight to the weights. He audibly tutted when he saw you but you decided this time to ignore him.

In the floor-length mirrors, you watched him as he stretched his muscles. Mumbling something under his breath and he kept looking at you, so you knew he wasn't saying nice things. Your legs were starting to turn to jelly, so you shut the treadmill off and stepped off and slowly approached Bucky. As you got nearer him, his nose scrunched up in disgust like your scent was offensive to him.

"Hey, Buck. Do you need a spotter?" You motioned with your head to the weight. He ignored you and continued mumbling under his breath.

"If you have something to say, say it to my face Barnes." You huffed out, a sheen of sweat on your forehead.

"I have nothin' to say to you. I don't know why you keep botherin' me."

"What- what did I do to make you hate me so much?!" Your jaw clenched. Blinking to stop your tears from falling, you refused to let him see you break down.

"You didn't do anything wrong." He shrugged, resuming his squats.

"So you just hate me for no reason?" Your arms folded over your chest, pushing your breasts together and you noticed his eyes quickly glanced at your swells and his tongue darted out between his lips. You cleared your throat and his gaze met yours, as you stood there waiting for his answer. 

To Bucky, you were looking as gorgeous as ever. But he didn't overlook the way your eyes were dark and your skin was pale. If anything, he was concerned about you but his strategy was working and couldn't let his emotions slip through now.

"Look, Y/N. Just because you're friends with the rest of the team doesn't mean we gotta be friends." His pointer finger motioned between you. "I don't like you, it's as simple as that. I don't need a reason. So stop badgering me with questions and creeping up my ass like you're my wife."

Before you could argue, Nat walked in. She looked at the two of you with a questioning eyebrow, a small hope you've sorted your differences out.

"Hey, Nat!" Bucky smiled at her. "I need a spotter. Can you do it?"

"But Y/N is here. She can do it."

"But I'm asking you. I trust you more." He grinned.

And it was then you understood you didn't need to wait until Monday to make your decision.

You watched as Nat walked alongside Bucky to the weights and spotted for him. You murmured a quick goodbye to Nat and went to your room, taking a hot shower and sat on your bed with your back against your headboard, you sighed as you opened your laptop.

You explored Google for a couple of hours looking for apartments you could realistically afford. It would be perfect if you were a billionaire. Then an idea hit you.

"You want me to what?!" Tony yelled, swinging on the stool to look at you like you had just grown 2 heads.

"Tony please I promise I will pay you back in monthly payments once I get a job-"

"A job? You've already got a job."

You sighed and massaged your temples. This was not going as well as you had hoped.

You had very kindly asked Tony for a small loan, without giving him the details as to why you needed the money. You just needed enough to cover rent for a couple of months and some furniture, and when you found a stable permanent job, you would repay him. But you neglected to tell him about your plans to resign because you knew he wouldn't allow you to leave.

"Tony, I can't explain it right now but please trust me-"

"Are you in any trouble? Drugs? Gambling? Are you pregnant?" He asked, cutting you off. You groaned and shook your head no to his questions. "Sorry kiddo, unless you tell me what's going on, I'm not giving you that amount of money."

You felt helpless. You just wanted, needed to get away from the compound. But nobody was willing to help you and you couldn't face the hundreds of questions from Tony right now if you did explain the real reason why you needed the money.

Leaving the lab defeated, you leaned against the wall and yelled into your hands. 

"What did you need the money for?"

Your head shot up to the sound of the voice and furrowed your brows. Bucky leaned against the doorframe of the room next door with his arms folded over his chiseled chest. You were surprised to see him here.

"None of your damn business." You spat and started to walk down the hallway and unfortunately, you needed to walk past him. His hands grasped at your wrist as you step past him, he pulled you back so you're face to face with the man of your nightmares.

"It is my business if it concerns you." His grip on your wrist tightened painfully.

"LET GO BUCKY!" You screamed in his face as you saw his nostrils flare. You pulled your arm back and walked away from him. His heavy footsteps were not far behind you. 

"Don't you walk away from me, Y/N!" The sound of his voice prompted you to move your legs faster. 

You made it to your room and just as you were about to shut the door behind you, a large foot stopped you from doing so. 

"Bucky, leave me alone!" You groaned as he easily pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind him. 

"What, so I ask you a question and now you don't wanna talk to me?" He questioned. 

"What the hell are you talking about? YOU'RE the one who's been acting like a total asshole towards me. Ignoring me when I speak to you!" You hissed. 

"Yeah and only because I heard you and Nat talking about me in the kitchen days after I got here!"

"What? What did I say?"

"So what do you think of Bucky?" Nat asked you, leaning over the kitchen island as she sipped her tequila. 

"He's kinda cute but I don't know... I don't like him that way." You chuckled. You had the hots for the new recruit James Barnes, wild and vivid dreams invaded your mind as you dreamt of him every night. 

While you were busy gossiping with Natasha, you didn't hear the footsteps and heavy breathing outside of the kitchen. 

Your eyes widened when he retold you the story, a simple misunderstanding lead to this much hate and it was all your fault. 

"I - I didn't mean in the way that you thought Buck." You whispered, your heart was heavy with the guilt. The guilt of him assuming people already didn't like him when he was just learning to accept himself and settle into society. "I'm so sorry." you sighed and sat down on the edge of your bed. 

"I'm sorry, too." The bed dipped to your right. "I should have asked you about it first before I... did this." 

"Is that why you ignore me?" You asked, wanting a real answer this time.

"It was. Because I thought you hated me too." Bucked tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear and smiled. "We're both stupid huh." He chuckled.

You nodded your head and joined him with a chuckle of your own. 

"God, I feel so stupid." You cringed as the memory of that night replayed in your mind. 

"Imagine how I feel." Bucky sighed, running a hand through his locks.

"Don't leave." He whispered, catching you off guard. "That kind of money you were asking for would make it possible for you to run. Please don't." His eyes pleaded.

"Are things gonna be different? I can't really cope with this anymore..." You admitted. 

"Most definitely, I don’t wanna fight anymore. I’m tired of fighting. He sighed. “I know of this really great diner a few blocks away. Would you care to join me for some food and a milkshake?" The corner of his lip was pulled up and you nodded your head eagerly, earning a deep chuckle from Bucky.

Dinner at the diner was amazing and for once you enjoyed Bucky's company. The two of you talked everything over and apologized to each other repeatedly.��

You learned a lot about Bucky in the span of an hour. What kind of music he listened to, what his favorite movies were. Turned out he loved the gangster movies and you couldn't blame him. You recommended Goodfellas and he invited you to his room to watch it with him sometime. 

Bucky talked a lot about the 1940s. How different the music was back then and how different the women were. He loved women with self-confidence who didn't need to wear dresses and skirts every day and was comfortable being in her own skin. 

You shared a lot of common interests with Bucky and you regretted not speaking to him sooner about everything. Though the many times you did and he shot your attempts down. 

Bucky paid for dinner and that was another thing you felt guilty about. You offered to pay for your own but he insisted it was his treat for the way he had so rudely spoken to you. 

"Thank you for dinner." You grinned from ear to ear. 

"You're welcome, doll. I love this between us." He admitted, putting an arm over your shoulder as the chill from the air bit you. 

"Me too. I don't wanna go back yet." You chuckled. 

Bucky walked to the vacant bench overlooking the city. You shivered as a gust of wind blew past you. 

You sensed Bucky was staring. You turned your head smiling ready to question him when his lips pressed yours. Your angled heads allowed you to deepen the kiss as your hands wrapped around his neck pulling him closer. His tongue tasted of the chocolate milkshake he had earlier at the diner. The need for air becomes greater and Bucky rested his forehead against yours with a goofy grin on his face. 

"I'm so sorry for everything." His breath fanned against your lips. 

"I'm sorry too and I forgive you. Can I ask you a question?" 

"Anything." He pulled away and smiled.

"Was that - was that your first kiss since...?" You pondered. His body stiffened and you were worried you crossed a line. 

Bucky bellowed out a laugh as a visibly crimson blush crept up his to his cheeks. 

"Maybe." He looked away embarrassed and you couldn't help joining in on the laugh. 

You and Bucky spent a lot of time together since the diner. You watched movies in each other's rooms and took each other out for dinner. 

Everyone at the compound were surprised by the turn of events. 

Just weeks ago, you and Bucky would have happily killed each other and now? You were joined at the hips. Where there was you, there was Bucky and vice versa. 

Since you became so close to each other, Bucky had no problem asking you to be his date to the upcoming party Tony was hosting, which was happening this evening.

You wanted to wow Bucky tonight. With Natasha and Wanda's help, you chose a black dress that showed just the right amount of cleavage with the laced arms, black stockings, and heels. Wanda curled your hair and Nat painted your nails to match your dress and did your makeup, creating a black smokey eye effect. 

You looked gorgeous and the girls knew you would make him weak at the knees as soon as you stepped in the room. 

Bucky was already downstairs with a drink in his hand as he waited for you. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and bowtie, unintentionally matching your outfits. 

The party was in full swing, people dancing, talking and catching up. The main doors swung open and everyone in the room went quiet. Bucky was worried he had gone deaf until his eyes followed the trail of everyone else's. 

His eyes bulged out of his head and his jaw hit the floor when you walked in with your clutch in your hand and looking gorgeous in your dress. 

He watched as your eyes scanned the room and landed on him. He watched as a grin was etched on your face and he returned it. 

His feet carried him closer to you and you met him halfway. 

"Hi, soldier." You greeted as you admired his bowtie. 

"Y/N... you- you- you look..." He was speechless as his eyes wandered up and down your form. He was so used to seeing you in jeans and shirts and on occasion did he see you in your tactical armor. "You look- wow... just... breathtaking." He stuttered and blushed. 

"Do you like my dress?" You grinned up at him as you wrapped your arms around his waist. 

"Yes. Very much." He panted, his eyes turned dark with lust and this gave you the encouragement you needed. 

You leaned up near his ear, your breath made him shiver. "Would you like it more if it was on your floor?" You whispered as his arms snaked around your body and pulled you closer to his. 

"Fuck yes." He growled. 

"Y/N! Wow, you look beautiful." Sam beamed from beside you. 

Bucky growled and before you could respond to Sam as he interlaced his fingers with you and pulled you away. You smiled apologetically at Sam, who just shrugged in return with a knowing grin. 

It was only Steve and Sam who knew of Bucky's lust for you since you became friends. 

Bucky pulled you along and into the elevator when it opened. 

"My room, FRIDAY." He ordered.

"Yes, Sergeant Barnes." The elevator began to move and anticipation built up inside of you. 

"Ready for a long night, doll?" He asked as the doors slid open and he pulled you to his room. You nodded eagerly, relieved your plan worked and you didn't need to resort to using Sam to make him jealous.

**********

Taglist: @buckysmischief @stuckonjbbarnes @sebbbystaaan @valkyriesryde @mypassionsarenysins @honeyvbarnes @stateoflovinged @tuesdays-are-for-bobby @photography-to-all @dark-night-sky-99 @veganfangirl5 @infj-slytherclaw @imma-new-soul @hailqueenconquer @mood-pancakes @seb-be-holding-these-tatas @seb-owns-these-tatas @margoshanotherwriter @iheartsebastianstan @lovvliies @buckysdumbmetalarm @livylou3333 @marvelsangels @donnaintx @crushedbyhyperbole @teamcap4bucky @zeilenkrieg @itsunclebucky @this-kitten-is-smitten And tagging my loves: @babiiface95 @perpetually-tuned-out @pinnedandneedled @captain-kelli @captainchrisstan @capandbuckylvr @simsadventures @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @smutsonian @jobean12-blog@sebastiansloserclub @buckythewhitewolfx @babblingbonky @a-mess-of-fandoms @hey-its-grey @the-ss-horniest-book-club @littledarlinhavefaithinme @godofplumsandthunder @criminal-cookies @stateoflovinged @eurynome827

[myblueeyedbuggers]

My Boys

Chapter 2

Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7  Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11  Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Pairings: Reader x Steve Rogers (Platonic) Reader x Bucky Barnes

Word Count: 1918

Warnings: Language, A tiny bit of Angst

Summary: After being abandoned by her parents in Brooklyn in 1929, y/n makes a living for herself by working for the Црни лабуд gang until she meets two boys in a back alley and her life slowing begins to change.

So, Hi again, I know I said that the next chapter would be shorter but I kinda got carried away with the story, hopefully you guys don’t mind XD As mentioned before All requests and imagines are open, any constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy Everyone! (I just noticed I linked the wrong page for Chapter 1, not a very good tech student am I? XD)

A few days later-

The right side of my face felt like it was on fire, a constant ache reminding me of what happens when I fail my task, boss handed my ass to me in more ways then one. The damn beatings from the boys made me too weak to stop the bastard named Greg from running off and calling the police, the dick decided to hand himself in instead of spending time with yours truly, which in all honesty is understandable, any sane person would turn and leg it away from a small lass looking like she went 5 rounds with a bear.

Perhaps walking around in the middle of the day isn’t the best idea when your face looks like the rear end of a smashed-up truck, people were stopping and staring at me, it was really doing miracles for my self-esteem (Notice my sarcasm there). I’d already managed to screw up this “mission” anyway, staying undetected with a face like this is nearly impossible, my decision of winging it this morning coming back to bite me in the ass within the first 5 minutes out the house. Safe to I was royally buggered, both literally and figuratively.

My mind was buzzing with different techniques and plans I needed to get the next target, maybe I could break into his house and dig up some dirt on this guy, from what I’ve been told that should be easy considering the dirt bag’s cheating on his wife with the maid from the apartment be- whatever train of thought I had was completed obliterated, somehow my ass hand ended up on the floor. Again. Irritation flooded my veins, whoever did better be ready to dig themselves an early grave, looking up my eyes made contact with the one person who I wished to never see again. Bucky f**king Barnes. “Why is it every time I see you, you’ve somehow managed to piss me off? Is that how you greet everyone or am I just that Special?”, I was met with silence. Not unnerving at all, glancing at him I noticed he was staring at my face with wide eyes, immediately I pulled myself from the floor and ran like hell in the opposite direction.

 This is not an ideal situation, to anyone else it’d look like I was running for the bus, when I was actually running for my life, “y/n! stop!” like that’s gonna bloody happen ya moron there’s a flipping reason I’m running, cause I ain’t doing it for fun!I already know I’m gonna regret doing this, my feet changed direction and guided my body down a small but familiar ginnel, two lefts and a right later I was approaching a wall, adrenaline was rushing through my body as I launched myself at the wall. Surprisingly I didn’t faceplant and managed to get a hold of the top of the wall, the lower half of my body erupted in sharp pains, but I needed to ignore them, quickly pulling myself up and leaping off to the other side. As soon as my feet touched the floor I was off, I didn’t really wanna know if Bucky saw what I did or where I went, I might not like the guy, but he doesn’t need to get tangled up in with a hopeless case like me.

Once I was certain that I’d lost him, I crouched down behind some bins and attempted, key word attempted, to catch my breath. I’ll admit that was way too close, anyway why does he care? I was and still am being a complete dick to him, does he not get the hit that I’m not his number one fan? Eh, when’ve I cared?  it’s just me against this bullshit world and I’m pretty sure that ain’t gonna change anytime soon. Now fully recovered, I emerged from my hidey hole and… walked right into Bucky. “What the Hell?! Are you some form of f**cking ninja or something, did you not get that don’t wanna talk or do I need to give you a formal letter?!”, he just stared at me with raised eyebrows and let me finish my rant, cocky bugger.

 “You done running now? Wanna try telling me who the hell did this?”, okay who the hell crapped him is cereal? “Nobody, I simply fell of a bike earlier on this week avoiding the village idiot”, giving me, an incredulous look Bucky sighed and covered his face in exasperation. Seeing an opportunity to get away, I slowly started edging away and to be fair, I nearly got past him before he grabbed my arm, “do you really expect me to believe that y/n?”.

The glare I sent him could have made Satan himself piss his pants, but Bucky didn’t even flinch much to my frustration, “Believe it, don’t believe it all in all I couldn’t give a shit, now let go of my arm before I rip it off “I’m pretty sure I just growled at him. And of course, the dick does the opposite and tightens his grip on my arm, wait is he dragging me?! The hell! do I look like dog on a leash? “Fine then don’t tell me, but you’re coming to my house to get cleaned up” his tone was final and left no room for arguments, but it’s me, when have I ever backed down from a challenge? “Nope, nah, not happening I can take care of myself thank you very much, now I’ll ask you one last time. Let. Go. Of. My. Arm.”

My voice held so much spite, I hardly recognised it as my own, “No” and with that he picked me up, ignoring my protests, and started carry me to his home

.-40 minutes later

How the hell Bucky managed to carry me for this long, I have no idea, for a lad of 14 he’s impressively strong and that’s the annoying thing, I’ve been trying to get off him for the past 40 minutes and even my hardest punches and kicks just seemed to tickle him. At one point he even started laughing at my threats, which added to my burning rage, the urge to smack this cocky son of a gun was hard to contain at this point. I’ve no idea what neighbourhood were in, it resembled a perfect suburban hub, the ideal place to settle down and raise a family, I wonder what it’s be like to be apart of a fully functioning family coming home to people who loved you…it must be nice. 

 Unknown to Bucky, a single tear slid down my face, my heart longing for a family to call my own, but that’d never happen, hell according to my parents I wasn’t even supposed to exist, by the time my mother realised she was pregnant it was too late to get an abortion. I was a curse that ruined their lives and their relationship, I’ve got the scars to prove how much of a waste of space I am, “You okay back there? You’ve been quite for more than two minutes” Bucky’s voice cut through my thoughts, for a minute I’d forgotten where I was. Okay that’s enough of feeling sorry for yourself y/n, pull yourself together you’ve managed this long without anyone, “Hello? Are you asleep of somethin?” I swear down this guy is more annoying then my conscious sometimes, “Nope I was thinking of all the different ways I can kick ya ass later buddy boy”, his body vibrated with laughter as Bucky let out a load laugh at my reply. 

Do you see what I’m dealing with here ?!, “Good to know you’re back to the you’re ever cheerful self doll”, what in the name of ever loving fudge?! “Since when did I become your doll Barnes? last time I checked slingin’ a girl over your shoulder and carrying her off isn’t the way to get a girl!” all the bugger does is laugh, laugh I tell you! this boy is gonna be the death of me. “You sure about that doll face? cause it worked for me”.

I could practically see the stupid smirk on his face, also can someone explain to me why I’m blushing? For once I had nothing say, my sarcasm failed me…damn it. A low chuckle brought my attention back to the annoyance with legs, more commonly known as Barnes, “We’re almost home Doll, Mama should be able to clean you up in no time” oh no, no, no I don’t do well with parents, or any adult now that I think about it, they always have this look of pity in their eyes when they see me. It’s like they’ve just found a homeless kitten on the street and feel the need to adopt it and take care of it until they get bored, it’s infuriating and embarrassing, “Oi! Barnes, I ain’t telling you again I can look after myself, your mama doesn’t need to trouble herself with me I’m perfectly capable of cleaning myself up!” he let out another frustrated sigh, he must be going for a record it’s the 20th one, before ignoring me completely and walking up the drive.

“Yeah you keep saying you okay by yourself but look at the state of you y/n! you’ve got a busted-up nose and lip, a black eye and a cut on you’re eyebrow! How the hell is that taking care of yourself?!” for once he did have a point, but hell’s gonna have to freeze over before I admitted that, “Not that you’d know this Barnes, but this is what happens every day, I have to make my own livin’ I ain’t got anyone to rely on and it’s been that way for years, it’s how I like it! now put me the hell down before I kick ya ass to China!”.

The sound of an opening door stopped Bucky’s reply, “JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING LUGGIN’ THIS POOR GIRL AROUND LIKE A SACK OF POTATOS?! PUT HER DOWN NOW!” holy mother of all things holy I do NOT want to be on the receiving end of this lady’s anger! I think my ass is attracted to the floor, one minute I’m being held captive by an annoying pillock and the next I’m on the floor nursing a bruised behind, “Jesus Christ talking about letting a girl down quickly!” hands grabbed my upper arms and pulled me to my feet, Bucky’s apologies faded into the background when a shocked gasp silenced the conversation. Slowly I raised my head, Bucky’s mother had tears falling down her cheeks, her brown eyes were filled with the two emotions I hated the most, pity and sadness.

 Not being able to keep eye contact any longer, my gaze shifted to the porch floor, her shadow slowly started to move towards me, she was being cautious as if she were approaching a wild animal and I hated it. I hate seeing people treat me like a basketcase, I can’t stand it “I’m very sorry for disturbing you ma’am, I’ll leave” I quickly turn around and start to walk away, about 3 steps in a gentle hand grabs my shoulder and stops me. “Sweetie, you don’t have to apologise for anything, come inside I’ll get you cleaned up, Bucky, honey Steve’s inside with your father and sister” and with that Bucky’s mother guides me inside with a comforting hand and a gentle smile. 

Soooo..yeah this happens, I’m not gonna lie I felt really bad writing the sad bit about the reader, I may have teared up a tiny bit, anyway YAY chapter 2 is outta the way!. Hope you all liked it  :)Rose xx

[subarubi]

The List

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Everyone’s got a submission to his list. Watch this. Read that. Go there. But you’ve never given him anything. Not a single idea of what it is you like, what makes you feel at home in this world. Never made an effort to bridge the gap between the 40s and now, and yourself and him. And it oddly bothers him.

Word Count: 3.6 k

A/N: this is my very first reader insert i’ve written and am posting, so i’m excited :) appreciate anyone who takes the time to read!

Everyone’s got a submission to his list. 

Watch this. Read that. Eat here. Go there. I Love Lucy. Moon Landing. Berlin Wall. Steve Jobs. Disco. Thai food. Star Wars. Nirvana. Rocky. Troubleman Soundtrack. Things he absolutely must do if he wants to call himself a modern man. Which, he does. But kind of doesn’t? Doesn’t even matter much now anyway.

You don’t.

Have a submission to his list, that is.

You’ve never been talkative anyway, he reasons. You’re quiet, reserved, and a bit of an outsider in this haphazardly thrown together group of extraordinary people. 

Not that you’re ordinary, not in the slightest. You’re a comet. Your power, palpable. A volatile missile, ice and dust carving a hole through space. Nucleus, hard body amalgamation of granite muscle and tungsten bones. Tail, a whipping flurry of wild hair, muted decimation in its wake. No, you are far from ordinary.

You just... stick to the walls.

With arms-- arms he’s seen bring men to their knees-- crossed over your chest, face set in marble. Not unfriendly. You’ll talk nice when prompted, smile when appropriate, but you never initiate. 

You seem to prefer a distance, a line between work life and personal life. A line that just doesn’t exist with the Avengers. Somehow, though, you manage to maintain the separation. Natasha’s prying questions, Stark’s intentional invasions of your personal space, Sam’s harmless but persistent flirting. 

It’s all so easily deflected. 

Made even easier now that the family you’d always resisted has been fractured. 

You don’t care to foster intimate relationships with any of these people. And you definitely don’t care to put in a submission to Captain America’s To-Do List. 

Everyone, everyone has something to add to his list. Even Bucky, Bucky, who has spent the better part of 70 years in and out of cryo, brain pulled apart and replaced with a new, foreign synapse each time, said something about a movie he’d seen somewhere. 

It bothers him. It shouldn’t, but it does. 

Steve can physically feel it--  that’s how much it bothers him. A now permanent path of his eyes to your form in a room. An itch in his fingers for a pen and paper anytime you say anything. A burn on the tops of his ears, hot and red, if you smile softly at some reference he doesn’t understand. Is that a signal? Would that be a suggestion if you actually talked to him?

Regardless, he trusts you. A boundless amount. Unexplainable given just how little the two of you have actually spoken.

You don’t make suggestions for the list, and it only really bothers him because he does trust you. He wants to know what you have to say, what you think is important for him to experience. What you like. If, perhaps, what makes you feel at home in this world could help him too. 

It’s a Thursday and he’s thumbing the pages of his notebook when Natasha gets the idea. 

The quinjet cabin is filled with a heavy, pregnant silence that no one can bear to cut through. Full-term. Unbearable pressure on the sciatic nerve-type silence. 9 months discomfort and anxiety, stifling their words. 

A mission gone right, but leaving a bad taste in their mouths. 

Bucky sits near the front, aimlessly bouncing a tennis ball against the starboard wall. Sam is in the co-pilot seat, trying to read a book with a red cover and yellow spine. Nat’s knuckles turn white on the yoke, keeping the quinjet on track even though it could pretty much fly on its own. 

You like music, Steve thinks. You there now in the back corner-- fingers drumming to the private beat on your thigh, eyes closed and head tipped back, white of earbuds in stark contrast with your dark combat suit-- is a frequent sight. He imagines your recommendation might be an album for him to listen to. 

Steve’s fingers ghost over the familiar scrawl of his list; some crossed out, some recently added. 

He decides it could use more music. 

You should just ask her, Natasha smirks, jutting her chin your direction. When she moved to sit next to him, Steve didn’t know. But, she is, after all, the spy. He’d been otherwise occupied anyway. He lifts his bowed head up to fix her with a puzzled look. Nat gives him that smirk and Steve has to fight back a groan. Knocking her knee against his, she teases,  you know, she can probably feel you staring.

His eyes shoot over in your direction, sighing a little in relief when you seem to still be lost in the music pumping in your ears. Steve realizes Natasha isn’t talking about the list. Years now, and she still hasn’t given up on playing his personal matchmaker. It’s slowed, surely, due to circumstance, but she’s never satisfied. A date. He should ask you on a date, is what she means. He’s suddenly as red in the face as the tips of his ears and Natasha’s hair. 

Steve’s not blind. 

You’re attractive. 

Soft and hard in so many ways. Lips, pink and pillowy and parted ever so slightly. Sharp line of your jaw clenched, brows furrowed. The gentle curve of your neck, warm skin disappearing beneath a dirt stained, hole ridden suit that hasn’t seen mending hands in months. Not since you followed him in his free fall from grace. 

You’d followed. Wordlessly. Burned out, abandoned by coworkers and the public, you resigned yourself to this life of Motel hopping and operating outside of the realm of what’s legal. Though not outside of what’s right.

Pondering what any of that could mean feels forbidden to Steve.

The hard shell of a man, not any less great, but perhaps less sure.

He looks back at Natasha with a low shake of his head, abruptly shutting his notebook. She sighs, but takes the hint. Enough. Not now. 

Almost a year later, he does ‘just ask’. 

It’s kind of like a date, in barely-there ways. You’re left alone, facing each other in a booth, knees brushing. You go to the bathroom, Steve orders for the both of you. Kind of like a date. 

Stuffed in the sticky booth of some diner in Middle America, alone together. Natasha gone off on her own again. Bucky recovering in Wakanda. Sam out like a light on a creaking Motel 6 mattress-- hard, just like he likes it. Your muscles like jelly, stomachs rumbling with the dull ache of hunger, soaked head to toe from the torrential downpour outside. No idle chit chat for you two. Steve stares out the window, impossible blue eyes following the path of a raindrop. You ring the bottom of your shirt out onto the small bit of floor between two pairs of feet. It splatters on the ground loudly. 

Not a date. 

You risk a glance at him over the piping hot brim of your coffee mug. Silently marvel at just how much he’s changed through thin white wisps of steam. More than longer hair, more than a handsome and disguising beard, more than the ripped out star of his suit sitting in a heap on the motel room floor. You can’t say how, it’s more a feeling. 

He’s a lot quieter now. Like you. 

Steve’s always been stoic. Passionate when needs be, but not exactly loose with his emotions; never as restrained now. His voice was always strong and sure, but never quite so gruff from frequent disuse as in this past year. You suppose it’s partially your fault. With Natasha gone much more now and Sam talking enough to carry a conversation himself, you’re not exactly great company. You might be one of the reasons he speaks less and less. 

A pretty waitress is smiling wide at him, a signal that she knows. A beard and hat pulled down as far as possible would never be enough to hide those golden boy blue eyes. 

Those eyes millions of women would gladly melt into a puddle of rainwater on the dirty floor of some diner in Midwest America for. You’d have to ask for a mop later to clean up the mess. Yours and the one spilling from ‘Molly’s lips. 

I heard you have a list, she smiles coy. You tuck in to the plate of chocolate chip pancakes doused in maple syrup as she bats her eyelashes down at him. 

Steve shifts, glancing over at you seemingly uninterested in the conversation. He’d given up on you having anything to do with the list weeks ago. He may be a fugitive-- may no longer be an Avenger, Captain America-- but he’s still a nice guy.  

Yes, he laughs kindly, hands clasped together on the table top.

You sniff and his eyes snap to yours again, tense. You’ll have to leave soon. Now that ‘Molly’ from the midnight shift at Red’s diner has seen Steve Rogers and his pretty blue eyes, you’ll have to wake Sam from his long overdue sleep and be gone before dawn. You wish he could’ve been left longer. It’s just how things work these days. A long shot from living plush, courtesy of Tony Stark. But you can wait long enough to finish coffee and breakfast.

Can I make a suggestion? she leans down and speaks in soft tones, a wicked grin hidden beneath those sweet, innocent looking red lips. 

You raise a brow when Steve politely nods, pulling out his trusty notebook from his back pocket. Steve asks to borrow a pen which she hastily holds out to him, purposely having their fingers brush in the exchange. Surely he knows she’s flirting, he’s not that naive. There’s no way. He’s a nice guy, maybe too nice.

She’s young. You imagine she has spent more than a few nights looking up at a poster of his face, clean shaven and perfect, playing this exact conversation in her head. That she has carefully thought over what her input would be. 

You should definitely watch ‘Friends’ when you have the time. 

You snort. Loudly. 

Molly instantly shrinks in on herself, deflated. Steve gives you an odd look, which you brush off and promptly resume shoveling the sweet breakfast food into your mouth. 

He’s so kind, it’s downright disgusting. 

Steve makes a point of writing it down underneath ‘Stevie Wonder’, smiling, Thank you. And for good measure, when he returns the pen, Captain America runs his ring finger across her knuckle. Oh, he knew. So considerate, you almost want to smirk when you catch it.

She’s gone now to wait on the other late night stragglers, blushing and gently ghosting her fingers over the spot he’d touched. Your hurtful mocking isn’t enough to dampen the feel of being caught in Steve Rogers’ warm glow. 

His knee presses along the inside of yours again when he shifts to shove the small book back into his pants. You take a measured sip of coffee. 

Steve raises a brow in your direction, Did you have a better suggestion?

There. He’s asked. 

Maybe he could finally breathe in your presence now. 

No luck considering you simply shrug and break from his gaze. So unreadable. It’s frustrating. He has half a mind to write ‘shrug’ underneath ‘Friends’. Are you? Friends, he means. You’ve known each other what feels like a lifetime now. At whatever this is for a year and a half. He can count on one hand the amount of conversations not involving a mission you’ve shared. 

He trusts you with his life, which, after everything that’s happened, is a rare commodity. He’s sure you feel the same. 

You’d say that no, you’re not friends. You probably wouldn’t deny the unfathomable trust in each other, though. That’s comforting at least. You sleep a bed away every night after all. 

Steve doesn’t really sleep. 

He doesn’t know you know that; you don’t sleep either. 

He’s staring, maybe he doesn’t realize it. 

You’ve abandoned your fork, suddenly feeling sick with it. That fucking blue. It split you like butter and might’ve knocked you over had you not been tightly gripping your knee under the table. 

So handsome it hurts. 

How could anyone be that pretty? Heartbreaking. Even before the serum-- you’ve seen the pictures. Breathtaking. The beard. The beard is really something. So so pretty. Adonis and Aphrodite. Michelangelo’s David. Torturous. 

It’s been almost a full minute now. Of him, just staring. 

You clear your throat in hopes it might pull him out of whatever it is that has claimed him. It doesn’t work. You talk just to end it. You know for certain that will surprise him. 

Why do you even keep up with it? The list. That stupid goddamned list.

You can see the flush on Steve’s neck when he does realize that he’d stared at you, through you, in you, for the longest two minutes in history. He coughs into his fist. 

What do you mean? his brow furrows, and you almost want to touch the crease between them to make it go away. It’s a ridiculous thought. One you shake away with another measured sip of coffee. 

Doesn’t it seem... you shrug, and there’s an urge in him to grab you by the shoulders and beg you to stop fucking shrugging so goddamned much. Steve thinks he might go insane if he sees those shoulders twitch up again. I dunno, kind of pointless now?

In a way, yes, it is. 

Steve can’t exactly pop in a film or binge watch a tv show like this. And sitting down to listen to read a book doesn’t really seem right.

He doesn’t answer. You watch him finally pick up his own fork, cutting into an omelette more cheese and meat than egg. 

It still rains down hard. 

Steve pays the bill, smiling tightly at Molly when she lays her hand on his bicep. He tips her well, she was sweet and young and still half terrified from just you snorting. 

You follow a few paces behind him out of the diner, mindful of maintaining that distance. 

Neither of you bother to fight against getting soaked. 

You’re both immediately set on edge when three cars pull into the parking lot, tightly together. It’s the kind of thing you’d been trained to be suspicious of. The kind of thing that never means anything good when around people like you. It means they have come for you both. It means you'll probably have to fight. 

He pauses underneath the buzzing neon sign. His back is to you, the tense expanse of muscles outlined by the wet shirt clinging to his skin. A breath. Another. 

Giggling.

You hear giggling of all things, bubbling through the parking lot. Girls, a whole crowd of them, spilling out of the cars, hushing each other. His name is on their cherry chapstick lips. Not his name, his title: Captain America. Molly had texted them, that’s clear now. 

It’s better, at least, than your previous estimation. But it’s trouble nevertheless. 

Steve turns to face you and somehow, the soft glow of red on his face only makes his eyes bluer. He takes a step forward. You understand. You always understand in the absence of words. There’s a link between the two of you when you’re in that working mode. That trust, tangible in how you too, step forward. 

It’s procedural. You fall into it so easily.

His head ducks, yours raises. Eyes locked in one another, but ears elsewhere, listening. Not touching, but near to it. A breath away. Swaying in the rain. You feel it sizzle on your skin, see it coming off him in steam. 

No one bothers the two lovers, obviously too occupied with each other to be superheroes. Natasha had taught you both that. 

It pours harder yet. 

The giggles fade into nothing, drowned in the monsoon-- no space between the fat drops pelting the earth. They couldn’t see the two of you now even if they tried. 

Why did you come? You never really said, he has to shout, the rain is so loud. 

You’ve left a lot unsaid. Some things are better that way. 

Steve’s hands, large and powerful, stop your shoulders mid shrug. Don’t, he squeezes his eyes shut, drops of rain trickling down the slopes of his nose, For the love of God, don’t fucking shrug.

Everything is heavy: your drenched clothes, his hands still gripping your shoulders, the crushing weight in your chest-- the rock lodged in your throat with all the things you’ve never said for the sake of some stupid credo about not letting things get personal. You’ve let the words die on your lips and for what? 

It did nothing. The lines blurred anyway, out of your control. 

The truth: there hasn’t been a distance greater than the width of his notebook between the two of you for a long time now. 

You pretend. 

You both pretend that absence of any extended conversation means you haven’t already learned everything about each other just by watching. Stealing glances when the other is turned away. 

Steve pretends that the reason your input in the list matters so much to him is because he wants to know the people he’s trusting with his life. 

He already knows you. Not your favorite color or band, but you. Your outline in the darkness of a thousand motels. The smell of you under layers of grime and sweat and blood-- you’re scrubbed clean with the same soap he uses. Your breathing patterns: one when you’re resting with your earbuds in, head bopping to songs he’s not been privy to; another when you’re side by side in combat, moving together like one; the most prominent, when you’re both laying in bed staring at the ceiling, too lost in thought to even care about sleep. 

You know him too.

His question. How do you answer? You followed. Wasn’t that answer enough?

Where’s your notebook? You ask instead, though it’s more of a call in this downpour. 

Steve’s brow furrows again, left hand flying back to pat the small book in his pocket. This time, you do reach out, though you don’t have to go very far. His breath quickens when the pad of your thumb brushes against the wet crease of skin pulled together in uncertainty. He swallows hard, rifling through the pages a little messy because he can’t stop looking at you. Your hand stays there until the pressure releases. For a good second after, too.     

When he finally opens it up to the two pages worth of ‘to-do’, the ink is running. Black to blue. A melted mess of jumbled letters on delicate paper one wrong twitch away from ripping. 

You take it from his hands, gentle, because you’re pretty sure this notebook has been a lifeline for him. Grounding. There’s sketches in there that you’ve only caught glimpses of. 

You lament now that it has been ruined by the rain. 

I don’t have a pen, he says softly. Softly, because he’s closer now than you’ve ever been. You’ve never heard him so soft. So cautious that his voice might scare you away. 

You spare a languid glance up to see just how close he is. It must be only inches because you can hear him through the rain. You tilt your chin to the sky, heavy lids widening slightly. 

He’s closer than even that. Not inches, centimeters. If you hadn’t been swaying in synchronization and instead leaned forward at the same time...

You don’t even know what you’re doing. For the first time in a while, you’re scared. 

The book is closed between your palms, the list shut. You’ll deal with it another day. You’ll help him remember everything that was on there so he can rewrite it. 

Steve leans in more. Not enough. 

I’ll just tell you then, you nod. Steve’s chest brushes against yours as you both suck in heavy breaths. You press the notebook there, against the hard swells of his front, closer to his heart. 

Which question are you answering? Why did you come? Or did you have a better suggestion?

Bob Dylan.

What?

Bob Dylan. Bringing It All Back Home. 1965.

Oh.

The stupid list. For years now, that’s all he’s wanted to hear. But there, under the neon sign, in the parking lot of Red’s diner, drenched in the deluge of rain, it’s not enough. 

We’ll listen to it together, you smile and he’s never seen it quite so big or bright.

Together. It is enough. 

Your lips taste of rain and maple syrup. He’ll remember it for a while. Forever, maybe. And him, you don’t recall something ever being so rich in your life. Steve’s mouth, so decadent you could die with a sated smile still. It’s all the sweeter, the press of your lips together; in it all those words left unsaid. You breathe them into his mouth, warm and red and waiting, and he sears them back into yours with the delicate slide of his tongue. Mouths together form lost sentences and sing. A crescendoing flurry of soundless vowels and consonants that only the two of you will ever hear. 

Steve faintly hears the notebook fall in a splash at your feet and you can feel the grin in his lips by the scratch of his beard against your chin. You’ll feel guilty for dropping it later, but your hand had been hellbent on curling itself under his arms and around his shoulder. His own hands cradle your neck and face, slipping across the rain wet planes of your face. And those forearms, like hams, rest heavily on your shoulders-- so that you can never shrug again. If you can’t find the words, Steve’s content to have you speak them on his lips. 

Everyone’s got a submission to his list. 

But yours come with a kiss. 

Yours is the only one that he’s ever really cared about.  

Sam complains weeks later that he’s sick of hearing Bob Dylan.

[justjessame]

Starting Over Chapter 45

Bucky slipped the ring on my finger and then kissed the breath from me - NOT that I was complaining - who needed to breathe anyway, really?  Well, me, obviously and he knew it because he pulled away far too soon for my liking and looked so happy that it made my chest ache.  

“You had this ring handy,” I looked down and bit my lip, trying to hold back MORE fucking tears.  “JUST in case the mood struck you -” 

He chuckled, joining me on the bed again, and pulling me so I could lay on his chest like he knew I preferred.  I would never NOT want to hear the sound of his heartbeat - strong and sure - pounding under my ear and cheek.  His dog tags dangling close enough for me to touch and curl my fingers around - which I did - another piece of him that soothed me, the metal warmed by his skin.  

“The mood’s been there for awhile,” he admitted, taking my left hand in his and holding it up so the light could catch the stone.  “Nothing has felt this right for a very long time, Brooke.  Being with you - feels right.”  His voice was soft and quiet, almost reverent and my eyes shut listening to him.  “I know you tease me about how I talk about Steve,” I hummed, snuggling into his warmth, wanting to listen to him forever.  “But I really do wish you could meet him, and he could meet you.”  His head was bowed so he could kiss my head, and as he spoke the added warmth from his breath washed over me.  “He kept telling me that I deserved a life - a real chance at normalcy again - like what he had.”  I nodded, or tried to, but I was warm and tired - and he was so -

I woke up in the darkness of our hotel room, wrapped in Bucky’s arms and still wearing the clothes I wore to the cookout.  Groggy and dry-mouthed, I tried to remember falling asleep - and wanted to kick myself because he’d been bearing his soul to me and like an idiot I’d drifted off -

“Hey,” he sounded like he might have napped too and when he yawned, I was proven correct.  “I think you wore yourself out today at the docks, sweetheart.”  Even half awake, he had jokes.  

“Eating everything that wasn’t moving, passing out, then throwing up everything I’d eaten does that to me -” I smiled as he chuckled.  “How long did we sleep?”  He kept his left arm around me as he checked his watch. 

“Four hours,” he sounded as shocked as I felt.  “Too late to go back to Sarah’s -”

Sighing heavily and dramatically, I propped my chin on his chest.  “Oh dear, Buck, however will we spend all the hours between now and morning if we can’t go over to the Wilsons’?”  

Even in the dimness of the room - with only the light that peeked through the curtains from outside giving us any illumination - I could see him lick his lips.  “I have a few ideas.”  

“Do you?” It came out breathless with a hint of a dare, and the words had hardly passed my lips before I was on my back and he was hovering over me.  “Oh, you have ideas -” I agreed, smiling as his head lowered, promising that Bucky Barnes was definitely a man with a plan.

We couldn’t spend our entire visit to Delacroix in our hotel room - no matter how fucking tempting the idea was - and with Bucky lying next to me naked it was beyond tempting.  And while I managed to nap without a nightmare, something he was quick to point out - I wasn’t as lucky after he ran out of ideas and we finally fell asleep.  

While he got to have a restful, pleasant sleep - I had a new edge to my nightmares.  

They started with the same flashes of colors, almost boring at this point - but instead of the vague feelings of pain and suffering that I’d come to expect - THIS time I actually heard voices.  Deep rumbling voices, threatening the pain, warning of the suffering.  The screaming that came from their tormented victims was new too, and it wasn’t welcome - I’d take boredom over THIS - the howling, pleading, keening.  

Bucky shook me awake.  Gasping, my face wet with tears and my throat clogged with - had I screamed too?  

He held me, promising me I was safe and that as soon as we were home he’d take me to see Dr. Strange - that he’d find a way to fix this - the nightmares.  That we’d find out why they were getting worse instead of better.  

Thank God it was morning when he’d had to shake me free from my dreams - he pulled me into the shower, tempting me away from whatever hellscape my mind pulled me into and back into the reality of OUR life together - and with his heat and the warmth of the water beating down on us he managed it.  

Sam had texted us an invitation to breakfast and between our nap and exercise - even with my nightmare I felt pretty rested - we managed to get up in time to make it.  

“Remember, Bucky Barnes,” I told him as we drove up the driveway to the Wilson family home, “we are NOT pregnant until we have it confirmed by an ACTUAL doctor.”

“I know,” he nodded, smiling at me as he parked under one of the trees.  “Can I at least tell them about this?”  He took my hand and kissed my ring.  

Studying him like I was considering his question, I rolled my eyes.  “Since I’m wearing it, I think you might as well.”  He leaned over and kissed me.  “I do love you, you know that right?”  

“I had the feeling you might,” he winked, and got out of the car, rushing around to my side so he could open my door and help me out.  “Come on, future Mrs. Barnes.” I bit my lip as goosebumps broke out on my arms at the sound of it.  “Let’s go get hassled by Steve’s shitty replacement.”  I snorted, as Sam came out to greet us. 

[ladywinterwitch]

Run Away (Eight- What You Gotta Do)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Avenger! Reader

Summary: You and Steve complete each other. Your love is that strong and devoted kind of love that pushes people to things like marriage, making a family. You couldn't imagine that a baby would be something you really wished, until the possibility wasn't your choice anymore.

Warnings:  A bit of angst, pregnancy talk, mentions of injuries, mentions of abandonement (mild), fluff, reader is still an emotional rollercoaster, cursing and swearing, smut, unprotected sex (too late for these two lmao), oral sex (f recieving), brief mentions of body insicurities, Bucky’s a puppy dog.

Words Count: 5289

A/n: Part eight! I can’t believe that I’ve actually come this far lmao. Plus, me posting stuff with less than 44827 years of distance with each other? A miracle. I always said that I would wrap it up at 10 chapters,but while writing this chapter I realized that I will need one or two extra chapters + the epilogue. We’ll see. For now I’m happy to be able to write lol. Series masterlist here, main masterlist here. Enjoy <3

ps: Chris’s look in that gif,,,chile 

                       (gif not mine)

In the following week you saw Steve once a day, just to assure that he was doing fine. He wasn' sleeping in your shared room for the moment, but in a spare bedroom. You knew that you were probably being harsh with him, but you were so mad. It wasn't the first time that he did something stupid to try and save others. Hell, just think about that damned plane crash that put him in the ice in the first place.

You understood the reasons why, and basically everyone tried to talk with you and kinda 'sugar coat it' but the issue wasn't that you didn't understand: the issue was that he couldn't afford to think only about himself. Was it selfish on your behalf to think that way? Maybe. But you couldn't help it. You told yourself that it would've been different if you were just married, or just lovers. His decisions would've still been his. But now it's different. In less than six months he would've become a father. And that comes with responsibility. Wasn't he the first to tell you how important it was for you to put aside your job, for months or maybe even forever, just for the wellbeing of the creature inside you? That kid is yours just as much as he's his.

You and Bucky went out for a shopping trip that afternon. You would've asked Wanda, but she and Vision went to Clint's farm for a few days to see him and his family. Steve still had to be inside the tower, since he wasn't fully healed yet. You knew that he was watching a football game with Sam now, while Tony and Bruce were working on a new project, and Thor went to Asgard for a while to go check that Loki and Odin weren't at each other's throats.

You didn't mind Bucky's company at all. And in any case it wasn't like you felt like going out with Steve, not just yet. The brunette drove you both to the mall where he parked and then you went inside.

-So, what absolutely exciting and girly shops I have to visit today?- he asked while you curled your hand around his bicep. You laughed, looking up at him while you walked.

-Well, this mama is getting bigger every day, so I really can't wear my old clothes. I wouldn't even fit in them, and I can't go on with you guys' hoodies and t-shirts. I mean, I'm still a woman. Who said I can't look good while pregnant?- you responded, dragging him to a maternity clothes shop. As soon as you entered like half of the women in the shop turned to look at Bucky. You glanced at him and saw that he blushed and was looking everywhere except them. You bit you lip to not smile while you started to look around at the clothes. You made sure to engage in conversations with him to try and take the attention away.

-Damn homie, I think you just made those women regret their partners.- you said lowly so only he could hear you, and being a super enhanced supersolier, he did hear you very clearly. He snapped his head towards you with a look of disbelief on his face. His expression was so funny that you couldn't help but laugh. He looked around quickly then got closer to you.

-Stop it! It's already embarassing without you pointing it out.- he whined with a low voice. You stopped laughing but you couldn't help but smile, pressing your lips together.

-It's just so funny to me, because I understand these women. Turns out that pregnancy doesn't only make you sick, but also terribly horny.- you rose an eyebrow and he face palmed himself. You laughed again.

-Too much information, doll.- he groaned. You chuckled, putting in his hands a bunch of clothes. He caught them with both arms and followed you like a puppy to the changing rooms.

-Thank you kind sir, now I'm gonna see if they fit then I promise we're out of here.- you joked, hanging the clothes into the changing room. You closed the tent and he let himself fall delicately on one of the couches. He looked around while he waited but it turned out to be a bad idea when he saw the women from the various isles and even the shop's staff looking at him. He awkwardly smiled and then looked back at the closed changing room, sinking in his seat and covering the side of his face with a hand nonchalantly. He heard a few muffled giggles but no ne bothered him.

-Y/n are you done?- he asked, more embarassed than anything. Suddenly she pulled back the tent and started to gather a few of the garments in her hand. Bucky's gaze got caught on her figure. It was essentially the first time that she wore something fitting and not exaggerately large, so her belly was fully on display, even more so since she was turned to the side. The man felt a mix of emotions all at once and didn't quite catch the first time she called him.

-Buck, did you hear me?- he snapped out of it and stood to his feet, blinking a few times.

-It looks great.- he commented. You had on a nice flowery minidress, the sleeves were short and puffy, the square neckline showed just enough cleavage to remain classy, the breast area was tight but just below the skirt was soft and fell perfectly on your figure, showing the belly. You looked at him with a smile, chuckling slightly.

-Yeah, it fits well doesn't it? I'm getting these,- he gave a three dresses, two shirts, two t-shirts, two pairs of jeans and a pencil skirt to him, while she had other stuff in her own hands. -And I'm leaving these.- she sighed.

-Would you do me a favor? I'm dropping these off, meanwhile could you go to the pay desk? I'll be there in a sec.- he nodded and you thanked him while you walked away to the isles. Bucky walked towards the counter and dropped the garments on the desk, giving a quick smile to the girl behind it. He pulled out from the back pocket of his jeans the wallet and then the credit card, which was obviously Tony's, and put it on the glass above the counter. He waited a few seconds until the clerk, which was a nice girl with black hair and amber like eyes, spoke to him.

-So, how far are you guys?- she asked. Bucky almost choked on air at that phrase.

-Oh we- - he was about to say, but you arrived at his side and saved the situation. You smiled kindly at the girl and gave a pat on Bucky's arm.

-I'll be exactly of five months in a week, and he's more like the uncle than the father.- she tileted her head towards the brunette. The clerk smirked.

-Is he now?- she said rethorically. Then added, -That would be 277$. You're paying with cash or card?- Bucky gave her the Visa and she thanked him, finishing the payment. Y/n glanced at him with a knowing look and a slight smirk. He rolled his eyes and shook his head a little, she furrowed her brows as if to ask 'Why?' and he just mouthed 'No', so she didn't push. For now.

-Thank you for your purchase, congratulations and we hope to see you soon.- the girl said with courtesy, her gaze lingering a bit on the man, whom didn't return the look. You could see the slight disppointment of the girl.

-Thank you, have a nice day.- you saluted her and then headed out with Bucky. An hour had already passed and you still had in mind to buy a few things, but first you needed a break.

-I desperately want a piece of cake. What do you think?- you elbowed him delicately to catch his attention. He turned his head and nodded, still carrying the two bags. You arrived at the mall's cafe and ordered. He picked an iced coffe and you a slice of cheesecake and some tea, knowing that coffe wasn't that good for pregnancy. You took a seat at one of the tables outside, even tho you were still technically inside the mall.

-So, wanna tell me why you didn't accept the clear as the sun advances that the pretty shop assistant did?- you brought the fork to your mouth. He huffed and shrugged.

-Because I am not interested. I don't think I'm in the right mindspace to date right now.- he responded. You exhaled, tilting your head slightly to the side.

-Buck, I know that it didn't end up that smoothly with Nat, but she's gone.- she realized how that sounded like and quickly corrected herself, -I mean, not gone. But...gone, you know?- you cringed at your own words and he snorted.

-Very smooth y/n.- he joked, earning a glare from you.

-Shut up, I'm trying to help here. What I meant that while I understand that things with Nat didn't end up in the best of ways, she went away to give both of you the space you need to get back on your feet.- you paused, drinking a sip of tea, then offring the last bite of cake to him. He shook his head, giving you a lopsided smile.

-Don't worry, it's all yours.- you pointed your finger at him, while chewing the cheesecake. He chuckled.

-Right answer. Anyways, what I'm trying to say here, Buck, is that you have to allow yourself to try again. Because you deserve it. What do you tell me about that person you said you were interested in? I've never seen you with anyone in the last three months.- he looked to the side for a moment casually.

-They're taken so, yeah.- he simply answered, shrugging while taking a sip of coffe. You got sad all of a sudden. You eyebrows knotted in a sad expression and he noticed, giving you a small smile.

-Hey, don't do that. It's okay. I'm not like heartbroken or shit. I'm happy for her.- he assured you, -She.. well she has a family. She deserves it, so I'm happy for her.- he nodded, smiling softly. You smiled at him too, still with a hint of sadness. He took a nother sip of coffe an then raised an eyebrow, looking at you.

-Why are you crying?- he asked confused. You furruwed your brows in confusion and wiped your fingers under your eyes, realizing that a few tears had escaped. At that point without a reason, you started to feel worse and embarassed and a mess, so you sterted to actually sob a little. Bucky got up and moved his chair next to yours, hugging you.

-Hey what's wrong? I promise I'm alright.- he laughed to try and lighten the situation. You hiccupped into his chest.

-I- I know..it's just.. I don't know, these stupid hormones are making me act hysterical.- you had sittle sobs coming out every now and then. He kissed your head while he stroked your back.

-It's okay, you're not hysterical.- he chuckled softly making you smile. You pulled away from him looking in his eyes.

-I'm a mess aren't I?- Bucky wiped a little smudge of mascara under her eye, and then smiled at her lovingly.

-You look just fine, darling.- she hugged him, whispering a 'thank you, I love you' in his ear.

-I love you too- he answered.

After that, they finished their drink and Y/n told Bucky that she wanted to order a few things for the baby so they did just that. They went in a baby-stuff shop and she choose and placed some orders for a crib, a baby seat for both the car and the kitchen and the changing table. You didn't wanted to buy them right away, so you told the shop to bring them at the tower when they wanted.

When you exited the shop, it was already six thirty pm, so you decided to head back at the tower.

In the car, you told Bucky about your idea to get a midwife to help you during your pregnancy and especially when it'll be time to deliver the baby.

-I don't know y/n... I mean I think that you don't need a midwife or some other stranger to take care of you and the baby. You have Steve. You have me, and Sam, Wanda and the rest of the team. Bruce has basically become a doctor of everything, I'm sure that helping to deliver a child isn't that hard.- he shrugged while keeping his eyes on the road.

-I can't and wouldn't expect you all to babaysit me for another four months, Bucky. You have missions, classes, a you know, your own lives.- he glared at you, probably wanting to intervene and contraddict you, but he remained quiet in the end.

-And, you really can't expect Bruce to handle this. He's a fucking physician for God's sake. He's absolutely amazing, but a delivery? No, that would be too much even for him. And I would be kinda embarassed, for crying out loud.- you added with a high pitched voice. You absentmindely started to cradle your belly. He thought about it for a few seconds.

-I don't know y/n, you know how I am with strangers. But in any case it's your and Steve's decision. Please, talk to him. He's been miserable this week without you. He wouldn't shut up about how he was sorry, and stupid and in love with you and that he misses your smile, your belly and I don't know, I stopped listening after a while.- he said exasperatedly. You suppressed a smile.

-Really? - you asked sheepishly. He turned his head to look at you for a second before smiling knowingly.

-You know it's true. Your fucking married, for God's sake.- he said, tired of you two being idiots. He could just imagine how it'll be when you'll become parents. You will be great at it, but also a mess at the same time.

-Hey, Whiny Soldier, how was shopping? - Sam shouted when he saw the two of you coming in the room with your hands full of bags. You didn't see him, but you just knew that he pursed his lips and shook his head.

-

You came back at the tower just in time for dinner. Vision and Wanda had aprons tied on their chests, while the others were just chilling in the common room. Steve was there too, beside Bruce.

-Shopping was productive, thank you very much.- you answered pointing for Bucky to put down the bags.

-Let me help you take these to your room.- he offered, but you gave him a look and he understood immediately, putting them down. You smiled and kissed his cheek.

-Thank you for being my human cart today.- his jaw dropped, pretending to be offended.

-Oooh- Sam howled and the others laughed. Steve smiled slightly, still mortified by your little 'cold shoulder week'  thing.

-You're lucky I can't tickle you to death right now.- he pointed his finger at you before walking to the fridge to pour himself a glass of water.

-Yeah, yeah, like you say big guy.- you teased him. You paused, shifting your gaze to Steve. He was wearing a blue hoodie and gray sweatpants, his dirty blonde hair were starting to get a bit long at the sides and a few strands fell on his forehead, while his jaw was covered with a slight scruff. His puppy dog eyes met yours and you couln't help but melt a little.

-Steve, are you well enough to help me with these?- you asked and even before you could finish he was on his feet. He almost tripped from how fast he tried to reach you.

-Yes I'm perfectly well I mean I'd love to help you. I mean obv- - you raised an eyebrow and he stopped, looking down. The whole team was watching in silence like it was a damn movie.

-I'm rambling, I'm sorry.- he said lowly. You sighed and places three of the four bags in his hands.

-C'mon. And you all, get a life.- you called them out while you two walked to the elevator. A few minutes later, after the short, silent, trip, you arrived to your room. He placed the bags on the bed and you did the same after closing the door behind you.

-Help me take off the price tags.- you invited him. He grabbed the bag, taking out the first garment. It was a white baby onesie, with Captain America's shield logo on it in white, blue, and red. His breath got caught in his throat and he suddenly let out a sob.

You snapped your head up in confusion, your features softening when you saw him. He sat on the bed, head down, onesie still in his hand. You put down the dress you had in your hands and went to sit next to him, since it would've been really uncomfortable for you to bend on your legs now. You hand went istinctively to rub his back.

-Can we talk?- he asks with broken voice. You tilt your head to the side to look at him with the shadow of a smile on your face.

-Only if you stop crying. Or else none of us will be able to talk at all.- he chuckles slightly making you smile lovingly. He wraps his big arms around you, nuzzling his face in your neck, your collarbones exposed due to the large shirt you were wearing. The wave of relief that washed over you in that moment was hard to describe.

-I missed you so much, baby. I couldn't stand the thought of you being mad at me. I'm sorry for being so impulsive.- he sniffed while he talked. You nodded, cupping his face gently. Steve melted into your touch.

-I know you are. And I'm sorry too. I know that I've been harsh with you these past days, it's just...- he waited patiently, -You're not responsable for only yourself anymore. I understand, please trust me, I understand what you wanted to do and also that you feel like it's your duty to do that. And it kinda is, but my point is- you shook your head realizing that you weren't really explaining yourself.

-What I mean is that you cannot put your life behind other's. Not for me, not even for the team. We're grown ass adults okay? Fow how much you can love us and we can love you, we are our own person. But this- you placed his hand on your belly, -This had been a choice. Your, mine. We both are responsable for this life. The same way I gave up my job, and the lessons. Now, I'm not asking you to stop going on missions, but I'd like you to be with me as much as possible. And that when you go, you'll be careful. Please, Steve.- you say softly, almost in the verge of tears. Again. You've cried more in five months than in your whole life probably.

-You're right. It was pretty hypocritical of me to get mad at you for the same reason in the first place.- he shook his head in disappointment. You rolled your eyes, adding -Work. I think we'll have to rearrange ourselves in this department.- you smiled and he laughed, agreeing.

-So, are we gonna get these off the bed and use the space in a better way or what?- your lips curled in a seductive smirk that quite shocked him. He recovered quickly, jumping on his feet and placing the bags on the ground in a split second. You threw you head back laughing at his eagerness, but you honestly couldn't blame him. Your hormones were a mess and your horniness at level 100, but you often were either sick, tired, hungry or he was. And not to mention the missions that separated you. So let's say that since you got pregnant the sex decreased noticeably, which was something that you wanted to fix. You phisically missed and needed him.

He returned to you and crashed his lips to yours, and soon enough you were a mess of tongues and lip bites and sucks that got interrupeted just briefly to get your clothes off. He didn't have anything under his hoodie, and you happily noticed that he was completely healed and that his weeks in the tower were due to the lack of new missions. You sincerely hoped it would last. After his hoodie, his pants and boxers were next. With you the situation was a bit more complex: first the light material shirt you had on had to be unbuttoned, then your tank top, the jeans' belt and the pants themselves. When you were left in just your underwear, a plain set of cotton white bra and panties, Steve stopped to look at your body.

He was in awe of you. He rose his hand and started a caress that began on your cheek, his thumb on your bottom lip, then descended to your now fuller breasts, to the curve of your waist to to your baby bump. At that point he bent down on his knees and kissed it softly.

-Hey little one, if you want to take a nap, now it would be a good time.- he whispered directly to the stretched skin. You let out a sound that was halfway between of a whine and a laugh.

-Steve, Jesus Christ.- you covered your face with your hands. You heard him laugh and stand on his feet again. He removed your hands gently, kissing you again with slow, agonizing passion that even let escape a ridiculous whine from your lips at the loss.

-Where were we?- he reached behind your back and unclasped the bra, sliding it off your shoulders and freeing your breasts.

-Mrs and Mr. Rogers I'm sorry to disturb, miss Maximoff would like me to inform you that dinner's ready.- you stopped hearing F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice. You groaned, annoyed at the interruption, but Steve suddenly started to push you on the bed and to lick and suck your boobs.

-Tell miss Maximoff that we have dinner here.- he responded biting softly your nipple, making you whimper.

-It will be done, mr Rogers.-

-Geez Steve, couldn't you be more specific?- you sassed with a deep breath, distracted by your husband's mouth. He snorted moving further down to remove your panties.

-You're already pregnant, couldn't be more obvious than that.- you started to laugh, but it soon became a loud moan when you felt his tongue licking a long stripe on your pussy. You closed your eyes and istinctively wanted to bring your hand in his hair, but you found an obstacle. A medium big, round and naked obstacle. You huffed and Steve stopped, tilting his head to the side, since now you couldn't even see him from between your legs.

-Are you okay?- he asked, worry in his voice. You sat on the bed, helping yourself with your hands. He returned beside you, waiting.

-It's just..ugh I'm so awkward and big and not confident if I have to be honest.- you say for the first time out loud. You wanted to cover yourself by curling your knees to you chest, but again, you swollen stomach didn't allow it. At that point you got even more frustrated.

-Damn it.- Steve places his fingers under your chin and made you look at him. His eyes were serious but not mad.

-Hey, none of that. Do you even realize the miracle your beautiful body is doing? You're creating a whole life in there, baby.- he smiled brightly looking in your eyes, -And by the way, you're still hot as fuck.- that made you laugh. He kept smiling while he made you lay down again on the sheets.

-This beautiful face..these cheeks are even sweeter now.- he peppered them with kisses making you giggle uncontrollably.

-Don't get me started on these ones...- his hands cupped your breasts while his mouth attacked your nipples and the soft skin. You moaned softly, your hand immediately in his short hair, your nails delicately scratching his scalp.

-But you know my most favorite thing?- he kept going, -This.- he was now between your legs, kneeled in front of your stomach. He caressed it and kissed it a few times. Then his gaze  locked in yours again. You almost felt hypnotized, both by his velvety voice and his touch.

-I love it because it's round and soft and most importantly because it's giving me a family. A baby. And you know who's giving me all of this? You are. So don't ever be insecure about this wonderful body, please.- you smiled at him softly. Soon enough the mood changed again when he spoke his next words.

-Now, are you gonna let me thank this stunning body like it deserves or not?- you felt the smirk in his voice, his blue eyes hungry. You mirrored his expression propping yourself up on your elbows.

-Would like to see it.- you answer. He huffs out a laugh and reprises what he started doing a few minutes prior. He took good care of you until you came on his tongue, and at that point you grabbed him to crash your lips together. You kept moving and bringing him with you, until he found himself laying down on his back and you straddling his hips. Steve's hands immediately went to your sides, trying to not move and let you do the work, even though all he wanted was to fuck you until you both could't anymore.

You kept you eyes on his while you stroked him a few times before slowly sinking on him. He squeezed both his eyes shut and your hips, huffing a long breath. That could've almost made you laugh if you weren't just as wrecked. Your hips started moving, back and forth, to the sides in painfully slow circular motions. At one point he grabbed your ass, sitting up and making you gasp.

-Doll I'm kinda struggling here- he breathed out kissing your neck while you kept moving. -I want to be delicate but damn.- he nipped at your sweet spot between your neck and shoulder. Your hips started going faster with the help of his hands guiding you and soon enough you were panting and kissing each other passionately and messily.

-Oh, Steve I'm almost there- you moan hugging his head to your chest. He moaned too, reaching in front of you with his hand to circle your clit.

-I'm right behind you baby.- he reassured you while in reality he was trying hard not to come in that exact moment. He craved you more than usual, not only beacause your body was actually so fucking hot to him but also because he hasn't touched you for almost two whole weeks.

Just a few seconds later you gripped his shoulders, hiding your face in his neck. His breath got caught in his troath at the way you clenched around him when you came. And as a cue, he followed you short after, coming inside you. You stayed like that, hugging and cuddling for some minutes, then he kissed you and moved you gently on his side, hissing slightly when you lost contact.

-Be right back.- he said going to the bathroom and returning with a wet wash cloth. He cleaned you up from both of your releases and then went back to throw the dirty fabric in the laundry basket. You looked at him with a lopsided smile, still hazy and quite tired from the recent activity. He mirrored your expression with messy hair, crawling in the bed to you and pulling you on his side after.

-I needed that.- you say. He sighed, -I definetly did too. How come we always end up having sex after we argue or talk?- he asked casually. You shrugged.

-I don't know, the important thing is that the talk comes first and then, the sex.- he agreed with a nod. You chewed on you lip a bit before speaking again.

-Honey- you called, he hummed.

-While you were away last week I started to think about how I will probably need more help in the future, you know. And the fact that you and the others are often away on missions. And I mean it's totally alright, that's work but... I felt so bad when Sam and Wanda were left behind last time. And just to 'babysit' me.- he looked down at you with a frown.

-They offered to stay behind because they wanted to. We're taking turns on missions all the time.- he responded. You barely noticed that he had started to caress your belly.

-That's not the point, you know it. The last mission was quite big. I know my work well enough to know that Fury would've sent all the team, if I weren't left behind. Also by now we both understood that this baby isn't a normal baby and that is why I'm so sick so often. Bruce can't be here all the time, and for how good and skilled he his, he's not an expert in the baby field.- he was listening to you intently, but he wasn't quite sure with where you wanted to go with this.

-What's the point?- he asked, moving a strand of your hair from your face with his fingers.

-The point is,  that I've read a lot in these months, and I think that we should hire a midwife. It would be someone that stays with me most of the day and helps me. An actual expert.-

-And how would you explain that our child has the blood of two super soldiers?- his hand motioned himself and you. You got up, towards the bathroom.

-Steve, we share the house with a god, a giant green monster, enhanced people, a witch, a kid that has the powers of a spider and an intelligent robot. I think it wouldn't be a great surprise.- you closed the door, peed and then refreshed yourself before going back to take some clean clothes. You saw that he was waiting for you to get out, probably wanting to shower.

-Okay then, I guess we can arrange that, if that will make you feel better.- he finally spoke. You kissed his cheek, already in your underwear.

-Thank you. You're showering?- he nods, the raises an eyebrow.

-Wanna join?- you laugh and shake your head.

-No, baby not now. I get tired quite easily and if the bed's already a bit difficult to work with, the shower must be a nightmare.- he pouted.

-You're right.-

-But- he stops the door before it closes, waiting for you to continue. -I want to fix your hair and your beard if you let me.- a lopsided smile opens on his face.

-Be my guest.-

-

After you sat him down on the edge of the bathtub, you shortened the longer strands on top with tiny scissors. After that you picked up the electric razor and groomed the sides, shortneing them but not removing them completely. You did the same with the beard, leaving a short, barely visible scruff. About twenty minutes later you were done. You put down the razor and took a step back to look at your work.

-Perfect.- you commented, brushing the hair that fell on his chest and shoulders. He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror, smiling.

-Is there anything you can't do?- he asked. You smirked, kissing him before starting to clean up.

-No, I'm a woman.-

*************

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