#and that upsets me a lot actually because steve could be so much more than comic relief or a love interest

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

something that has bothered me about tua seasons 2-4 is the inconsistency of the relationships between the siblings.

starting with klaus, in season 1 ben and diego were his people. ben and klaus were always shown together in the flashbacks to them as kids and obviously every second of the show because klaus was the only one who could see him. but like… they were CLOSE. SO FUCKING CLOSE. they were the most SIBLINGS of all the siblings.

that continued into season 2. ben was randomly a bit colder towards klaus but they were still so fucking close.

and then ben left, and klaus for the first time was alone without his person. everyone else lost a brother when they were 17, except klaus. so he had to grieve ben for the first time. that didn’t happen, though. there were many nods to them being close, and then of course steve blackman pulled a steve blackman which means weird unnecessary incest implications, but it wasn’t clear just how close klaus and brellie ben were even though it had to be hard to be around someone who looked like ben and was kind of ben but also wasn’t ben.

and with diego, it also seemed like he and klaus were incredibly close. diego older-brothered klaus constantly s1 and they gave off the impression that they ran into each other a lot in the city during the years since leaving the academy.

then they completely disregarded it for the rest of the seasons. in s2 and s3 there a few interactions that could lend credence to this but for the most part it seemed like they threw it out the window.

allison and klaus had no clear relationship in season 1. they had some incredibly minor sibling interactions but nothing that indicated they were anywhere near as close as they imply in season 4. season 2 they were close and then season 3 not a lot of interaction. but s4 makes it seem like they have always been incredibly close which doesn’t make sense!!

five and viktor have a relatively consistent friendship, although s4 doesn’t really give viktor any relationship development with his siblings. same with five, if anything he just gets his relationships destroyed but that’s a different post!!

allison and viktor also are pretty consistently close. the implication is that they weren’t as kids but that they really try to be as adults, and i do like their relationship overall.

luther and allison nasty ew kill it with fire. like i thought we established in s2 that incest is weird actually and that we weren’t doing that and then season 3 came along and whatever whatever shut up.

diego and luther’s relationship is fun. they go from adversaries to himbo besties and it’s relatively consistent.

luther and viktor have similar growth. luther goes from piece of shit basically causing the apocalypse s1 because of how shitty he was to viktor towards really wanting to make things right and being the big brother he always should have been. they didn’t really have a relationship s4 but WHATEVER.

i feel like five and luther were together a lot the first two seasons and that very much changed. i’m not even that upset as i think five having character arcs with each sibling is good since he missed so many years with them (other than him and viktor they were always close and should have remained that way).

i think allison and diego and viktor and diego having relationship development would have been cool. in the comics viktor and diego have a band so we know they’re friends. and in the show allison and diego don’t have too many interactions but the ones they do have are SOOOO SIBLING and i adore that.

ben and viktor have some closeness s3-4 (and the end of s2) but it’s not really something we see, more so we’re just told. and then random flashback to them hanging out as kids before the mission which was confusing.

i think five and klaus were done the dirtiest with the relationship inconsistency. i understand wanting different characters to have arcs with different people, but when you sacrifice the established relationships and basically put your characters on shuffle then you also sacrifice character consistency, development, growth, etc.

i think a big problem is how many characters they brought on last season. there wasn’t time for consistent relationships among the brellies when they had to use a shit ton of time building new characters and relationships (and immediately killing them all off which was A Choice).

anyway just wanted to write out thoughts about this. would love to know other people’s thoughts (or headcanons about the siblings).

[rogueddie]

There's something... off about Steve. Eddie can't quite put his finger on it, but he started noticing it a long time ago. Long before they actually met. Back at the tail end of his King Steve days.

He'd gotten glimpses, like he was seeing behind a mask. The way Steve usual smirk and swagger would drop, just for a moment. But he didn't look upset about losing friends... he looked haunted. Something so empty and lost about him. The moment would be over as fast as Eddie saw it, the whole King Steve persona slipping back on just as easily as it slipped off.

The look on Steves face stuck with him though. There was something so unsettling about it. Something so wrong. Because Steve was the spoilt, rich, popular kid. He had distant parents, everyone knows that, but... Eddie didn't want to think about what could've shaken up Steve Harrington so much, what could leave him looking so traumatized. He doesn't want to know.

But, of course, Eddie never got so lucky.

He's surprised, yet not at all, when he finds out that Steve has been dealing with the alternate dimension bullshit for years. It makes so many little things make sense. Makes the sudden loss of social status, the complete 180 in his attitude, seem reasonable.

And that should've been it. As nice as it was, saving the world with Steve Harrington, Eddie understands how things are. Even with his reputation shredded, hanging out with the town freak- now town 'we still think he's a murderer no matter how much they clear his name' level freak- is far, far below Steve.

But Steve keeps seeking him out. He keeps knocking on the trailer door. Ringing him up. Turning up to D&D sessions early so he can talk his way into coming back to hang out with Eddie.

Sometimes the King Steve mask makes a return, more often a mutation of it. But, for some reason, there's no masks on when it's just the two of them. Steve is freely and openly weird. He admits to things that Eddie knows he wouldn't usually share without pressure. But he shares them with Eddie.

Eddie asks him. But Steve just... smiles. Changes the subject with such ease that it isn't until later that Eddie even realizes that he never answered. He's kind of impressed.

Eddie learns to love it. He's got such deep insights into Steves psyche now that he can read him better than Robin can. He makes a point of correcting Robin too, enjoying the confusion and frustration he causes. Especially with how often she jokingly threatens him for stealing her soulmate.

And he is. It takes him a while to realize that he is... but he is. He's essentially stealing Steve.

He doesn't like groups. Not a lot. He likes having quiet moments with a couple people, he likes spending alone time with people, and it's no different with Steve. He likes knowing that he definitely has all of the attention and that the other person has all of his.

So maybe he feels a little possessive over their alone time, over the way Steve is so open with him specifically. With him exclusively. But it's not getting in the way of anything, it's not a problem.

Until, one day, Eddie notices Steve slipping away behind a mask. It's not the usual King Steve or variant. That throws Eddie off. It makes him too curious to ask, to look too close as to why. He wants to know more about the mask Steve is creating.

It's suave. Confident. It gives Steve an air of romance, something about it making him seem so much more slick. Like the persona of an old romcom movies male lead. It makes him stand a little straighter, it has his eyes wondering so freely. It makes Eddie blush.

Eddie stops him one day. He has to make sure Steve understands that, whatever he's doing with this new mask, Eddie isn't feeling friendship things about it.

Steve gives him that smile again, the one that makes it clear that Steve has figured something out that Eddie hasn't. He doesn't change the subject this time. He pointedly steps closer, grabs Eddies hand.

"Maybe I don't want you to feel friendship things about me," Steve says. He doesn't have the usual slick tone of his new mask. He looks a little nervous. "Maybe I only wear this mask with you."

Steve doesn't let him kiss him, ducks to the side far too smoothly. He still has Eddies hand in his. Eddie can't help but narrow his eyes, suspicious of the playful grin he's getting.

"Let me take you on a date first. A nice dinner, some expensive red wine..."

"Fuck you," Eddie is grinning though. Revels in the way his bluntness makes the mask slip again, this time because Steve is too amused to hide it- something that is more and more common.

It's more rare, these days, to see Steves masks slip because of whatever horrors he's remembering. It's almost always because of Eddie, making him smile, making him laugh. Not even his King Steve mask can hold up against Eddies odd, feral charm.

[moonstruckme]

Hi my love. Can you do a quick little blurby with whoever you think will fit this. The request is the reader was literally forgotten by her coworkers. They were all going to go out after work but they forgot her and went out without her. Just a comfort fic because this literally happened to me and I want to curl up and cry

Hi my love, I'm so sorry that this happened to you but I really hope things have been sorted out and/or you're feeling better now. Thank you for requesting sweetheart <3

Steve Harrington x fem!reader ♡ 957 words

Steve wonders if maybe he’s holding you too tight. He’s got one arm around your ribcage and the other curled over your shoulders so he can hold the nape of your neck, but he keeps having to squash bouts of his own indignant fury to focus on comforting you. 

Unfortunately, this is not something he can handle with a bat. 

“I’m sure they didn’t mean to,” he mumbles next to your head. Your cheek is pressed close to his, your arms hung loosely around his shoulders. You’d come home to find him on the couch and simply draped yourself over him, desperate for affection he was all too happy to give you, even if it’s a bit less fun and games when you’re upset. You’re not even really crying, just clinging to him as a slow, relentless stream of tears flows out of you. 

“I know.” You sound so dejected Steve feels like someone’s taken the bat to him, your voice croaky and tired. “I don’t think they were trying to be mean, they just…didn’t remember me.” 

“Being inconsiderate still makes them a bunch of douchebags,” he says, thumb stroking the baby hairs on your neck. 

Steve likes to think he was never that much of a douchebag, but witnesses would probably testify otherwise. Robin would gleefully skip to the front of the line. She’d actually referred to his past self as a douche-canoe once. Steve isn’t sure what exactly that means, but he’s guessing it didn’t make him a whole lot better than these guys. 

“You should come work with me and Robs,” he offers, only half joking. You normally love your job, but he hates seeing you like this enough to think that maybe that doesn’t matter so much. “The pay’s worse, but we’re way more fun to be around.” 

You sniffle, tightening your grip around his shoulders affectionately. “Thanks, Stevie. But it’s not that I don’t like them. They’re cool, usually.” Steve makes a reluctant grunting sound, though he knows this to be true. Prior to today’s incident, he’d actually been looking forward to meeting some of them. “I just wish I weren’t so forgettable.” 

It takes Steve a second to actually process what you’ve said, and then his heart sputters in his chest. “Hey, what?” He pulls away from you, curling his hands around your upper arms. “Babe, this hasn’t got anything to do with you.” 

The look in your eyes is less despair than resignation. You seem almost sorry to contradict him. “It’s not like they didn’t invite me. They were trying to be nice, they just didn’t notice that I wasn’t there when they left. What else do you call that?” 

“Not your fault,” he insists, nose scrunching bewilderedly as he shakes his head at you. “That’s what I call it. Listen, I” —he sighs— “I don’t want to sound like I’m advocating for these assholes, but you know how things can get when you’re in a group like that. Everybody’s all excited about whatever you’re all going to do, and if somebody says they’re ready to go, you go. They were probably each thinking you were with someone else. Actually, I can almost guarantee they weren’t thinking at all.” 

Your mouth pulls to one side, dissatisfied but considering. You give a little shrug. “I guess.” But you’re just appeasing him, Steve can tell. 

Fuck, he hates talking about this. The things he does for you, he swears. 

“Look, I was an asshole kid once too,” he says, and he’s aiming for lightness but he can tell by the way your eyes lock on his that you know the significance of him bringing this up. It’s not a legacy he’s proud of. “I could…okay, I’m not happy about it, but I could kind of see myself doing something like that a few years ago. I was an idiot, right? We agree?”

Almost despite yourself, you give a little smile. Steve goes on, encouraged. 

“So I can say, practically from experience, that I wouldn’t have been thinking about who was there and who wasn’t. I would’ve been too caught up in the idea of what we were doing to pay attention. But that just makes me a dick, it doesn’t mean anything about you.” 

You tilt your head, giving him one of those thoughtful, open looks he loves so much. He likes it when you let him see all of you on your face. Makes his boyfriend duties a lot easier. “You’re not a dick,” you say softly. 

“I was,” he says, and it’s not hard to admit when you’re here in front of him, living proof that he’s got to be doing something right these days. He rubs your upper arms roughly. “But you’re not forgettable.” 

You sniff again. Steve is pleased to note that your tear ducts seem to have emptied their reserves enough for the time being. He’s not sure whether that’s because you believe him or because you’re just choosing to let his affection outweigh your coworkers’ callousness for the evening, but either is alright with him. He can love you enough to make up for all of those fuckers. 

“Can I hug you again?” you ask, and he’s quick to oblige you, slotting you back between his arms where you belong. 

“When you go back to work, I bet they’re all going to feel really bad,” Steve grumbles, letting his grip tighten slightly around your ribcage. “But if you want to just avoid all that, the option to come work at Family Video is still open. I know a guy.” 

Your laugh is croaky but real, and the sound of it makes Steve want to squeeze the life out of you for happiness. “I’ll think about it.” 

[luveline]

Hey Jade! Could I request some more kisses before dinner au? Steve and reader both have a bad day (Reader with her pregnancy and steve is just overwhelmed with looking after everone?) and they have a fight in the evening before, during or after dinner. The girls get a little upset and make a plan to get the two talking again and to make up and the night ends with a big cuddle. Thank you, love you and your work, you're actually so beautiful! Xx

HI!! thank you so much angel, I hope this is OK!! ♥ dad!steve x pregnant!reader, 3k.

You said we could do this. 

Steve thinks about that line most of all. Your argument blurred into one big glob of anger, wanting to be right and silly grievances, fatigue. The only thing that stuck out was your upset face as you'd sniffled and murmured, "You said we could do this," like Steve had let you down. 

Steve regrets arguing with you, but what he hates most is having lost his cool in front of the girls. He resents himself for it as much as he does you, and he's finding it difficult to let any of it go. 

It's Avery who's claimed his lap, while Bethie and Dove lean on either side of you, Dove's face against the bump of your stomach like a pillow. Steve strokes hair out of his eldest daughter's face one silky strand at a time. He knows the girls aren't used to fighting, Steve grew up seeing it, and he didn't want his kids to see it because he knows it creates a strange and sometimes suffocating anxiety, so you and he have always argued in private when you could. 

You're very pregnant (exhausted, hormonal, going through huge changes) and Steve is trying to do a lot more to account for that (similarly exhausted, and wondering if perhaps he has sympathy hormones). The baby bump means you can't and shouldn't be doing as much. You've worked your entire pregnancy, through two trimesters of intense morning sickness, and the third and last trimester offered a reprieve from that and nothing else. 

As your uterus moves and your bump drops to make room for the last hurdle of the baby's growth, you can hardly breathe. You're always aching. Steve insists you take it easy and even if he didn't insist it's not exactly a conscious decision either of you van make. Being kind to yourself is being kind to the baby, and you're the best mom in the world —you're slowing down whether anyone likes it or not. 

Worse, your Braxton Hicks have started. They come at irregular times and never last long, but each time prompts the am I going into labour early? panic. It's not fair, Steve wishes he could take it from you, and he doesn't want you to do more than you can, but he needs a little more room to breathe, and some forgiveness. 

Because Steve did assure you that you could do this. You wouldn't have agreed to another baby if you didn't think it yourself, neither of you being that irresponsible. Lots of things come before wanting. Steve wants a big family, he could cry every time he looks at you lately and the unignorable evidence of another family member to love and cherish that is your distended stomach, but he loves the one he has now. Before you even thought about trying for your fourth, you had to know it wouldn't hurt your first three, or each other. 

Steve knows you can do this. He can do it. Today was just a bad day, and he needs your faith in him, or this is never going to work. 

Steve wants to say that to you, now he's had time to think. I'm sorry I let you down, but I need you to forgive me, and I need you to trust me that we can do it. He also wants to say Thanks for being a dick about Beth's doctor's appointment, obviously I forgot to take her on purpose, I just don't like her. He decides he hasn't calmed down enough to talk to you yet. He's mad at you but he fucking loves you, he doesn't want to hurt your feelings anymore than he already has. 

Avery kisses Steve's cheek unexpectedly, snapping him from a reverie of racing thoughts. He meets her gaze to ask what she wants, but she's swift to slide down the lengths of his legs and onto the floor. 

"Bethie," she says, meandering to where her sister sits, hands catching on Bethie's bare knees, "do you want to come and colour in with me?" 

"Why don't you bring your colours down here?" you ask. 

"I don't want to carry the table," Avery says, referring to the green and purple picnic bench she has in her room. She can't carry it, even though it's only small. She's smaller. 

"I can grab it for you, Ave," Steve says. 

"That's okay, daddy, you're tired. Please, Bethie? I need your help staying in the lines." 

Bethie raises her eyebrows. Reluctant, she climbs off of the sofa and Avery takes her hands. Steve can hear them whispering as they reach the stairs, their creaking steps covering words but not sounds. 

Steve usually puts his life into perspective quite easily. He doesn't often get angry, having had the privilege to choose pretty much every aspect that's worth agonising over. He was lucky enough to love you, and to have you love him back. He was lucky enough to have a say when you got pregnant accidentally the first time, and beyond privileged to be able to ask again, and to have you yes, to want to say yes to the second, the third, the fourth. 

He doesn't get angry at you much. When you're mean, of course, when you fall for the same weaknesses he might. A short temper, a mistimed snark. He was really mad at you a few years ago when you burned your arm on a pan he told you multiple times was hot. He was so mad he couldn't speak not that long ago when you assured him you could clean the hot sauce off of his first Hellfire shirt with a lemon and ended up bleaching the black sleeve a mottled brown. But you were cleaning his shirt because you loved him. You burnt yourself trying to help him clean your shared kitchen. All these things he's angry about, they're mistakes, or they're moments of weakness in a long receipt of kindness, and sweetness. Plus, you're the prettiest woman he's ever met, you're prettier every day. That deserves something, he thinks. Reverence, patience, anything you need if it means he gets to keep being with you, gets to keep having these stupid fights. 

And there it is. The anger wears away. Steve remembers how much he loves you (which hadn't been in doubt, the love part, but the volume —when he's mad, he loves you astronomically, and when he isn't, he loves you so much they haven't made a word for it). He wants to say sorry and have you say it back. You'll kiss him and let him hold you, his hand over your tummy, and hopefully you'll admit to understanding where he's coming from. If he's really lucky, you'll let him massage your shoulders, or hold the bump up to take the weight off. 

"Dove!" Bethie shouts from the top of the stairs. "Dove, come and help, please? We need another hand for the drawing!"

Dove perks up by your side. She slides off of the couch with little convincing, your fingers twisting a curl of her hair as she goes. 

"Have to help me," Dove says. Bethie sighs and begins down the stairs to fight the baby gate. 

Steve opens his mouth about the second they're both out of earshot again and you still beat him to it. 

"Baby brain made me act like a bitch. Sorry." 

"I knew it was baby brain and I still took the bait, so…" 

"You think I was baiting you?" you ask. 

"Not on purpose?" Steve rests his cheek across the top of the couch, fake leather cool on his skin. "You had a real reason to be mad at me. I said you didn't have to take her and then I let you down." 

"You didn't let me down," you say.

"And you're not a bitch," he says,

"I feel really embarrassed after we argue. Maybe you make me feel that way," you say, looking down at your hands, "but I don't think so. I wish you wouldn't get so mad with me." 

"I wish I didn't, either." 

"Not that we don't both get angry."

"I know what you meant." The conversation is stilted and jagged and frankly painful to manoeuvre. "Do I really make you feel embarrassed?" he asks. 

"No," you say. "I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm trying to say. This part never gets any easier." 

"But we'll keep doing it?" 

You put both hands over your bump and give him a long, serious look. "Yeah." 

Steve shuffles closer to you on the couch and tries to land you both on the same page. "What did you mean by that? That I make you feel embarrassed after we fight? I'm not mad, I just don't get it." 

You offer your hand as though you're afraid he'll reject it, pinky finger bumping his where it rests on his thigh. Steve takes it gently. 

"Stevie, sometimes, you get really mad when we fight and I– I don't blame you because I know why you get mad like that, and you've never been cruel to me for the sake of it, you aren't cruel. You've never hurt me just being angry. You've said stuff to me that hurt my feelings–" 

"I've never hurt you for no reason," he says, worried, hoping you'll agree. 

"Of course not. Steve, you've barely hurt me. But I… I think I feel embarrassed after we fight 'cos I can't stand thinking you had that much disdain for me." You squeeze his fingers. "Even for a minute. Which isn't your fault, that's how being angry works. You get so annoyed at someone that you lose it."

"I don't hate you, though," he murmurs. "You really think I have disdain for you? 'Cos I don't, honey. Not for a millisecond. That's not what it'd be about." He can't believe he's loved you this long and this is the first he's hearing about this feeling in particular. "When we were fighting earlier, I wasn't thinking about how awful you are or anything like that." 

"What were you thinking?" you ask hesitantly. 

"That I wish you'd see my side." It comes out in a rush, a sigh, his hand sliding up your wrist. "I just wanted you to see my fucking side for once."

"Are you kidding?" you say. 

He backtracks. "Sorry, not for once. That wasn't fair. It's what I was thinking, though" 

Much less insulted by his thoughts at the time of a blow up argument than the notion that he thought you were refusing to see his side after you literally asked him to tell you his side a second before, you relax. Or, you sag, and your brows pull together in pain, free hand moving to your chest. 

Steve sidles in as close to your side as he can get and covers your hand with his. "You okay?' he asks softly. 

"I'm fine. Tell me your side."

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," he says honestly. "But I need you to cut me some slack. I know you're having a really hard time right now, and I know you know I'm trying to make it work just as much as you are. Is that okay?"

You take his hand from your chest and put it over your baby bump. He could weep with relief. 

"That's okay. I really am sorry, Steve, I know I took it too far." 

"Well, I got angry twice. I wish you'd told me how you felt about it, you know? I would've told you a long time ago that I– I love you even when you're pissing me off. You don't have to feel embarrassed thinking you've lost my respect or something." 

"I know it doesn't make sense," you say. 

"But if that's how you feel," he says. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just want us to be okay again. 

"We're okay again," you say, staring at him for a few long, slow seconds. "I love you." 

"That's the best one, right? After we fight? I love you, too," he says, hand slipping under your shirt. He'd do it if you weren't pregnant, but now you are he does it for a different reason, feeling along your ballooned tummy for something in particular. "Has she been kicking today?" 

"Only every time you talk," you say, beaming, knowing how special that is. You move his hand to the very top of your bump. "Feels like she's inside my lungs. Would you…" 

Steve grins and leans down. You pull the hair from his eyes, holding him to your chest. "Listen, lovely girl. You gotta give your mom a break, go back to sitting on her bladder for a bit. The only person who should be making her breathless is me." 

"Corny," you say, scratching his hair. 

Steve puts his ear to your stomach. She won't talk back, and he can't hear much, but he tricks himself into thinking your weird stomach gurgling is the baby speaking. 

"No," Avery says, much closer than Steve thought she was, the troupe of them having made their way downstairs while Steve was busy laying on your stomach. "This will work, Beth."

"I don't want them to be angry," Bethie says. 

"They won't be angry with us. Mom doesn't get mad, she gets disappointed, and dad only shouts when I den-danger my safety." 

You snort and Steve tries uselessly to cover your mouth. "It's a make up plan," you whisper. 

"Oh. We have to still be fighting, then," Steve says. He springs up, gives you a very tender if he says so himself kiss to your cheek, and crawls back to his empty seat. 

"Let's go," Dove insists, prancing through the open door. 

You and Steve try to look dreadfully morose. 

"Daddy," Avery says, "Mommy, we made you something to say thanks for being the best dad and mom's ever made."

"You did?" you ask. 

"And to stop worrying," Bethie says, drifting toward Steve on automatic. 

"My loves," you begin. Steve knows what you'll say —We're sorry. 

"Just listen!" Avery insists. "You're the bestest ever, and we have the new baby coming and we'll have to take new photos but we can't because she's still getting bigger, so we drew one." 

"Baby photos always make you happy," Beth says.

It's a family portrait on a jagged edged, five feet long piece of paper from one of their paper rolls. You're all very tall and there have been efforts to make each person individual. Steve stands out as the only one with shorts and no eyelashes. Your baby bump has been drawn like you're carrying Pluto around in your abdomen, and Dove is quite small in comparison. Avery has drawn herself to Steve's left, and Bethie stands to hers. It's the most impressive thing Steve has ever seen. 

"Oh, wow," he says. 

"Woah," you agree. 

"This is me," Dove says, pointing at herself. 

"That's me," Bethie says, almost dropping her corner of the portrait.

"And there's me and dad and mom and baby," Avery says, pointing at each figure, her arm blocking the crayon hair. "We're the biggest family ever." 

"And the best," Bethie says.

"Best," Dove agrees. 

If things hadn't been okay between you and Steve before, they are now. In an instant. The girls have presented you with evidence of his very greatest achievements. 

"How much do you think it would cost to get that framed?" he asks you. 

Your laugh jumps from you as though it had a mind of its own, loving and exhausted, fond. Unsurprised. 

"Couple hundred bucks," you say, hand cupping the bottom of your stomach. 

"We have that, right? To spare?" 

You absolutely don't. Steve says it to make you laugh again, only half joking, and is rewarded by your happy smile. You shuffle down the couch into his arms and he wraps you up without closing his arms, hands extended to the girls where they hesitate. 

"Come on," he says, waving his hand toward your back, "this mom sandwich is missing at least three pieces of bread." 

Avery cheers and sprints into his reach. Beth and Dove aren't far behind. 

—

kisses before dinner au

[imfinereallyy]

@henderdads posted this about domestic fluff and I realize that I love this trope and I just don’t write enough of it, and I wanted to give her a little treat to read. Mostly because her tags when she reblogs on my post give me absolute joy, I laugh every time.

Two things might come as a surprise when getting to know Steve Harrington. The first being he didn’t actually like parties. He likes making other people feel good, wants to make them happy. Hence why for years, he lets Tommy and Carol wreak havoc on his house. It makes them happy and, for a short while, makes most of Hawkins High happy. Steve, in retrospect, has learned to regret this since he has now gained a reputation for being a party king, despite not throwing one in years, but he knows all too well how hard it is to let go of a high school reputation.

The second surprising fact is that Steve Harrington hated his birthday. Well, maybe hate wasn’t the right word, but he has incredibly low expectations for his birthday. Either everyone forgets his birthday, or somehow Steve is reminded that he is an inconvenience.

“Sorry sweetie, your dad has a business meeting that day.”

“Dude, I have a baseball game in that night could we do something another day?”

“I’m late! I know, we stayed up all night playing D&D. I even forgot to call Suzie!”

Steve isn’t necessarily hurt per se when these things happen. He knows that some people, more than others, are really trying. That it’s human to make mistakes. But Steve doesn’t like to get his hopes up; that’ll be much better than that.

There is also the more commonly now known fact that Steve doesn’t like being the center of attention. And birthdays come along with a lot of that. Sure, Steve wants someone to pay attention to him, really listen to what he has to say, but he has long since out grown the desperate need to have everyone look at him.

It is why it is such a surprise the upside down crew throws him a 24th birthday party.

Steve always thought something like this would upset him, but he is delightfully warm at the sight of all his friends, all of his family, inside Robin and Nancy's apartment screaming,

“Surprise, Dingus!”

Steve can’t believe she got everyone to say that.

After the shock of seeing them all packed like sardines wearing party hats, Steve can’t help but smile.

Eddie walks up to him, placing a hat on his head and a soft kiss on his cheek. “I tried to stop them,” Eddie whispers. “I know you don’t like parties, but they just wanted to show how much they love you. It was hard to say no.”

Steve turns to Eddie, a man who knows him inside and out and knows he can’t lie to him. “I thought I would hate this, but I don’t. It’s perfect.” He kisses Eddie on the lips, just as soft as the one before.

“Good, because I really didn’t try to stop them.” Eddie smiles into the kiss.

“Ew!”

“Gross!”

“Get a room!”

Various shouts across the room cause the couple to giggle and pull apart. Eddie flips them all off, “It’s been four years, assholes! Grow up.”

Eddie runs off to particularly chase Mike, who actually hasn’t said anything but did make a face, and Steve can’t help but be overwhelmed by joy.

🎉🦇🎉🦇

Hours later, after the cake has been cut and the presents have been shared, and his kiddos are definitely way too drunk, the party doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. And Steve, who is having fun but growing antsy since he slowed down on drinking years ago, isn’t quite sure what to do with himself.

He doesn’t want to ruin the fun or make anyone think he didn’t have a good time. This is one of the best birthdays, if not the best one, he’s ever had. But Steve is getting overwhelmed and worn out. He isn’t really tired, but being social has reached its capacity for the night.

Even so, he can’t help but laugh at Robin as she tells a story about the most recent disaster of her sign language class, where kids keep accidentally swearing instead of the proper words.

Eddie catches his eye across the room; he looks happy as he talks to Hop and Wayne. But even mid-conversation, across the sea of people, he tugs his helix piercing over his right ear twice.

It’s their signal for, “Do you want me to come over?”

Steve rubs the scar over his left eye twice, “Yes please.” It means.

Eddie excuses himself and makes his way to Steve. “Hey, baby.” He interrupts Robin mid-rant, who makes a sound of drunken protest. “Did we feed Mrs. Pierson’s cat today?”

Another signal, which translates, “Do you want to go home?”

And Steve knows he can just tell Eddie yes, and they can stay at the party, and Steve will have fun, and he’ll be happy, but it isn’t what he wants. What he wants is to be at home with their own cat Beelzebub, snuggled up in their bed. So Steve says, “Shit, I don’t think we did.” Yes, please. Let’s go home.

Eddie acts quickly. They make their rounds, say goodbyes, and make their excuses. Everyone lovingly pokes at their forgetfulness. The couple insists everyone stays and enjoys themselves. Steve thanks everyone with individual hugs.

Steve and Eddie hold pinkies the entire walk home, down the streets of Indianapolis. The dark night blanket of night, and the never-ending sound of the city, keeping them safe enough to risk the intertwined digits.

When they make it home, they say nothing. They unwind slowly. Sharing kisses, delicately take off each other's clothes, hum into each others mouths. There is nothing rushed, or rough; they have time now. There will be moments for that later.

And in their journey from the front door to the bed, Eddie kisses the place where Steve’s shoulder and neck meet. It’s his signal for “I love you.”

Later, when they are tangled up in the sheets, heavy breaths slowing down, Eddie’s arms wrapped around him, Steve leans up and kisses the tip of Eddie’s nose. It’s his signal for “I love you more.”

Eddie’s smile back says, “that just isn’t possible.”

“Thank you for today.” Steve finally speaks out loud, playing with Eddie’s fingers.

“Oh, it isn’t over yet, baby.” And Eddie jumps out of bed naked, running out of the room.

Steve can’t help but cackle at his boyfriend's antics. There is a sudden thump on the bed; Steve peeks down to see their cat making his home on the end of their bed like he knows they are finally done for the night. “Hey, bee.” Steve scratches him behind his ear, earning a resounding purr from him. A little to the left, it means.

Eddie comes back into the room and dives back into the bed, bouncing Beelzebub but not startlingly him enough to move. Steve supposes he’s used to his father's antics. “Okay, I would tell you to close your eyes, but I know you’re not going to listen, so I’m just going to hand them to you.”

Steve giggles and grabs the pieces of paper in his hands and his heart stops. “Eddie.”

“Steve.” Eddie’s grin is wide.

“These are three tickets to see Madonna.”

“Yup.” Eddie pops his ‘p’ clearly proud of himself. “One for you, one for Robs of course, and one for me.”

Steve whispers in awe, “But you hate Madonna.”

Eddie brushes the hair out of Steve’s face, “Please, no one can hate Madonna.” Eddie’s eyes turn soft, “Besides, you love her, and you love me. It only felt fair to have us both in the same place. And you’d worry the entire time if I wasn’t there.”

Steve throws his arms around Eddie, squeezing him tight. Hoping he can translate how much he loves this man through it. Steve loves making other people happy, but no one has loved making Steve happy, quite like Eddie. “I love you so much,” Steve says once he leans back.

Eddie kisses the place where his shoulder and his neck meet. I love you. Eddie kisses the tip of his nose. I love you more. Finally, he holds Steve’s face and says aloud,

“I love you too.”

***

Was this perhaps inspired by the fact I turn 24 in a week and a half? Maybeee. I’m a lot like Steve in this where I have such mixed feelings about my birthday. I’m feeling a lot of anxiety about it if I’m honest, and I don’t have high hopes.

Unlike me, I don’t have a partner like Eddie, but Steve deserves the world and I wanted him to have some loving and domestic fluff. The idea that these two have secret signals is an important headcannon to me, and I would love to see others take on it.

I hope @henderdads you enjoyed this if you made it this far. It was a lot of fun to write. :)

[suspiciouslackofclowns]

I’m having a lot of thoughts about super protective Steve right now, but I’m also having a lot of writer’s block so I don’t have the energy to actually set the whole scene.

I need Billy and Steve delivering pizzas and snacks to The Party (including the Corroded Coffin guys) to wherever they’re holding their campaign. Maybe somewhere in the woods because it’s aesthetic and the weather is nice, like out by Castle Byers.

The kids are fine with Harringroveson for the most part by now, though a couple of them (namely Dustin) don’t always get along the best with Billy. He tries really hard so it’s getting better, but progress is slow. He’s still detested by the Corroded Coffin guys (namely Gareth).

I love the misunderstood character trope for some reason. I love the idea of other characters hating Billy’s image, the idea of him, but when they get to know him as more than the asshole jock they peg him as, they realize he isn’t all that bad.

Maybe Gareth makes one too many comments about not wanting Billy there. Calls him an asshole and provokes him with the intention of validating his own perception of the blond. Maybe even goes as far as to insinuate that the only reason Eddie or Steve are with him is because of his looks. Something mean that’s said in a teasing tone, but hits just as hard despite it.

Billy doesn’t react with white hot rage like everyone’s expecting. He turns away and walks through the woods back to the car with a look of shame on his face, and Steve immediately jogs to catch up with him, lacing their fingers together as they weave through the trees.

Eddie stands there anxiously, wondering if he should follow them or if it’ll overwhelm his already upset boyfriend. He turns back to the group and looks pointedly at Gareth. Not angry. Just disappointed.

Which some could argue is worse.

“C’mon, man,” he sighs, gesturing vaguely. “You couldn’t be cordial until they left? He didn’t even do anything.”

“Made ‘em leave faster, didn’t it?”

Gareth’s tone is less sure than before, because after all, he isn’t a malicious person at his core. He’s clearly at odds with himself about hurting Billy’s feelings — he didn’t even think it was something that could happen.

Eddie just shakes his head and sighs.

“Well, you’ve poked the bear, so now shit’s gonna get testy.”

“What, like—“ Gareth gulps and his eyes blow wide. “Like Hargrove’s gonna kick my ass or something?”

At the words, Eddie laughs. Crosses his arms and sobers when he hears twigs crunch in the distance, a set of footsteps approaching once again.

“Not Billy,” Eddie whispers.

As if on queue, Steve emerges from between the trees. His jaw is clenched and his shoulders are squared. He gets eyes on Gareth before anything else, which has him scurrying up out of his seat on the floor. Ready to bolt.

Steve stops beside Eddie. Shrugs his hand off of his shoulder when Eddie sets it there and points an accusatory finger at Gareth. The movement makes him flinch even though he’s still a handful of feet away.

“I dunno what your fucking problem is, but you don’t say shit like that about my boyfriend when I’m around, you hear me?” Steve seethes. He eyes Gareth up and down like he’s sizing him up before he simply tsks and shakes his head. “You can find your way home in the dark for all I care, so don’t bother asking for a ride when the game’s over.”

He stares until Gareth nods, at which point some of the rage relaxes out of him. Only slightly.

Then he turns to Eddie.

“Get on the radio when you’re done?” he says much more softly. “I’m gonna go ahead and take him home.”

“Is he alright?”

“Yeah, but you know how he is.”

Eddie nods and cracks a smile.

“Big ol’ softie.”

“Mhmm.”

Steve mirrors his expression. Leans in for a quick kiss, then casts Gareth a final glare before he takes his leave.

Once he’s gone, Eddie huffs a laugh and intertwines his fingers over the back of his head.

“Jesus. Give him a while, he’ll get over it,” he dismisses. Glances over at Gareth, who looks about as startled as a mouse that’s been dropped into a snake pit. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I dunno, you could probably speed up the process by making Billy a cake or something.” When Gareth furrows his eyebrows, Eddie shrugs and laughs again. “I’ve never pissed Steve off that bad, but I have hurt Billy’s feelings before. My boy loves him some chocolate cake.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then two.

They wind up having to wrap the game up faster than they anticipated, because the nice weather becomes a drizzle which becomes a pour.

Steve goes against his word and gives Gareth a ride home.

The next day, he’s standing on their porch with a Tupperware container full of chocolate cupcakes that say srry 4 b-ing an a-hole in blue icing on top.

Billy immediately shoves one into his mouth and Steve reluctantly forgives Gareth, meanwhile Eddie is laughing his ass off because he didn’t really expect him to take his suggestion seriously.

[stardust-sunset]

You sent me some hcs so now I’ll send you some in return ❤️🎞️

• sometimes the gang will have sleepovers where they’ll all sleep in the living room on the floor. They’ll drag out all the blankets and pillows from their room and just be in a puppy pile on the floor

• going off your hc of Darry being a daycare worker, one day he came home from work looking utterly green and Soda and Pony are like oh hell no this bitch brought a stomach bug home and of course they all get sick and it’s a miserable experience. It gets passed through everyone in the gang, no one is safe, and it’s all Steve and Soda’s fault because they can’t stay apart for too long without being bored so Steve tried to hang out w him while they were sick and got sick himself then everyone else got it too 😭

• in the summer they’ll all go to a lake to go swimming and Darry will pack everyone sandwiches and sodas and they’ll have a fun day in the water <3 he attempts to teach everyone how to swim but Soda and Steve are roughhousing, Two-Bit is scared of going where he can’t reach and is clinging to Darry (Darry literally has Two-Bit on his hip like a baby 😭), and Dally is getting a kick out of trying to wrestle Pony and Johnny at the same time 💀 they were doing chicken fights at one time like where you sit on someone’s shoulders but Steve was on Soda’s and Pony was on Two-Bit’s and Pony “accidentally” poked Steve in the eye so they had to stop

• Soda saved up for awhile and got Darry a really nice heating pad for his birthday that he could use on his back when he’s sore but Soda ends up using it more than him because he steals it every time he has a stomachache smh 🤦🏼‍♀️

• Darry LOVES gossip. You know who else does? Dally and Steve. Between the three of them, they know EVERYONE’S business in town. Dally knows a lot of people from the different gangs, Steve hears stuff at work, and so does Darry, especially stuff about the adults in town like teachers from school and peoples parents and stuff. The three of them will be sitting at the kitchen table with their chins in their hands just like “and THEN what happened?” they’re so nosy

• Two-Bit is super good with kids so maybe one day Darry helps him get a job at the daycare so he can finally start getting his life together and he LOVES it so much and is actually really good at it 🥺

• Johnny skips school allll the time literally just because like he’ll sleep over the Curtis house and everyone is getting ready in the morning and he’s just laying on the couch still. Darry will be like “come on Johnny you’re gonna be late if you don’t get up now!!” And Johnny’s just like “um no 😊 no school today ❤️” and Darry’s just like bruh. Pony tries to pull the same thing after seeing Johnny do it and Darry’s like absolutely not

• whenever Soda is sad, Darry is who he wants. He finds so much comfort in his big brother, especially because Darry can always tell when something is wrong. He’ll just get this look on his face when he’s upset and Darry’s like “come here” and just pulls Soda into a nice long hug and lets him talk about whatever he needs to <3

I hope you liked these! Most of them were just silly and fun ❤️ love Johnnycakesswitch ❤️🎞️

BROO the happy little dance I did when I saw you sent me an ask, your hcs are my favorites i swear 😭😭😭

THEY DO HAVE CUDDLE PILES 🗣️ Like I know it starts out with just the Curtises and then Steve drags his ass over and crawls next to Soda and then Two Bit JUMPS in and crushes everyone’s legs (bitch) and they just invite Johnny over because he will NOT insinuate cuddles, you have to do that but he doesn’t put up a fight. Then Johnny drags Dally in like “I will if Dal does” and Dally’s just like “Fine man 😡”

Darry definitely brings home illnesses and sicknesses all the fucking time because little kids are gross and don’t have the ability to be hygienic so he comes home with spit and snot on himself sometimes and then he’s like “wow I feel like shit”-Pony gets SO mad he’s like “Darry it’s your fault I feel like shit because you brought home a stomach bug 😡” he uses it to guilt Darry into rubbing his tummy for him-Soda just whines a lot but in all seriousness they take good care of Darry (who can be a TERRIBLE PATIENT BTW-the only reason he stays home is because Soda’s like “you’re gonna throw up on a roof or in front of kids” and Darry thinks about it and is just like “😨”

I love headcanons of them swimming! I’m working on the holiday headcanons you sent in and I was JUST typing about them going swimming-they totally do! Darry loves anything where he can show his strength off so he’s just there with Two Bit on his waist like a wet cat-Johnny has to get Dally in-he tries to be nice like “cmon Dal there’s no sense in you sweating your butt off while there’s water right here” but Dally is a stubborn BITCH so he’s like “no” and then Sassy Bitch comes to light and he’s like “what are you on your period or something?” and Dally gets PISSED and tackles Johnny into the water-they got him in tho. Only problem is being in the water for so long makes them SO hungry and Darry is dealing with six whiny bitches as he drives to Dairy Queen 😭 (Also Pony poking Steve in the eye is so real, he’s such a hater. I also know he scratches him with his nails and Steve gets so mad because he has scratch marks all over his chest. “It was an accident Darry I was just tryna push him off 😇”

Soda would so do that-he just wants Darry to be happy and comfortable :( I feel like Darry ends up looking for it after work but sees either Soda or Pony curled up with it-Soda is just sitting there like “Darry I’ll give you a massage if you let me use this for five more hours minutes” and Darry’s like “fine” but in the end he just lets his brothers use it because he doesn’t feel like fighting them lmao-Soda is frequently getting stomachaches because his stomach is sensitive. Pony just doesn’t drink anything but Pepsi and he has a habit of not eating and then he wonders why his stomach is killing him

Darry being into gossip is SO funny like we’re not gonna sit here and pretend he doesn’t eavesdrop on conversations while he’s roofing homes. He also gets flirted with a LOT at work-one time he was roofing his old third grade teacher’s house and she would not stop flirting with him-he shrugged it off until he was finished and he was like “yeah do you happen to know a Darry Curtis?” and he just has this smirk on his face and she’s just like “shit 😨”-yeah that one had the whole squad laughing. He also knows Dally knows stuff from being in jail and just snooping around at night so those two are gossip QUEENS. They all gossip-Pony and Johnny report back to Soda and Darry about their old teachers and they love it.

Awwwww YES-especially because I think Two Bits mom would send his sister there sometimes and bumping off your headcanon about him watching her a lot so when Two Bit is picking her up one day he just hands him and application like “Just think about it” and he does. And he works there in the end-his little sister introduces him to all her friends too-she’s one of the oldest ones there but she doesn’t care. Two just loves interacting with the kids and goofing off-I feel like it also leads him to drink less because he doesn’t wanna be intoxicated around little kids so working there helps manage his alcoholism. He also doesn’t mind being dressed up by the kids-I love using the musical’s Two Bit-they love playing with his curls and they think his tattoos are the coolest things in the world. He’s so happy there 🥺

Johnny literally just says that and Darey’s like “whatever, I’m not your dad” so he just lets him stay at his home 😭 Pony’s always like “why do you let Johnny stay home 😡” and he’s like “I’m not Johnny’s caretaker, now get up.” and Pony just bitches about it so so much-Darry’s just like “Fine Johnny I won’t make you go, there’s food in the fridge and just sleep or smth” like Darry learned to stop giving a shit but Pony is SO whiny about it-

Darry just knowing when his brothers are sad, UGH it’s the purest thing-I feel like Soda prefers Darry because Darry just knows how to properly hold and comfort Sosa in the way he likes. Darry also knows Pony LOVES deep pressure and honestly it’s just like second nature. Darry lets Soda listen to his heartbeat or rest his head on his stomach. He always knows when Soda’s feeling better because he’s like “it’s nice your belly’s happy” because it’s just making noises and Darry just laughs a bit and they just talk it out-babies 💜

I love your headcanons, never feel scared to just spam my inbox! This goes for anyone lol

[callhermyname]

you're not going | eddie munson x reader, pt. 1

summary: basically the same plot of s4 ep.1; you see Eddie and Chrissy at the picnic table and get the wrong idea.

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 5.2k

warnings: MDNI!!; reader is bisexual; tiny bit of fluff, but mostly angst; Robin being the ADHD poster girl she is; crying, mentions of blood, assault, child abuse; THIS IS A STRANGER THINGS S4 REWRITE, I DID NOT CAME UP WITH THE STORYLINE!! let me know if i missed something.

a/n: this is part 1 of my stranger things s4 rewrite, so if you want to read more, you can help me by liking and rebloging this post, following my blog and telling me if you like it! If you haven't read the prologue, you can read it here. also, excuse any grammar errors, english is not my first language.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You've all been through a lot. After Will went missing, a couple weeks after you met Eddie, your life has never been the same, and probably will never be. Your first year at Hawkins High was hard after all the shit that went down, and you were closer to the other teens and the kids now, but you really wished you could talk to Eddie about it. You felt like he would understand.

The year after that was a little better, all things considered. After Nancy dumped Steve and he and Dustin became… friends (i guess?), you and Steve got really close too, so no one dared to talk shit about you like they used to — they knew better than to upset the girl Steve Harrington treated as a sister. When Steve and Robin started working together, the three of you became peas in a pod (especially after Robin ended up learning about the upside down and El and all that). She was your best friend, someone you could talk to about anything, and she could talk to you about anything too. When she came out to you, you felt like you could also come out to her (as bissexual) and with that you, her and Steve became best totally platonic friends.

—

"Dustin, for fucks sake, Steve has been honking outside for 10 minutes, we're gonna be late, what the fuck are you doing in there?" you banged at your cousin's bedroom door.

"Don't come in! I'm naked!" he yells back.

"You know what? We're not doing this again, I'm not losing my ride because of you, you can bike to school." you grabbed your backpack and headed out the door.

Swearing at Dustin under your breath, you make your way to the backseat of Steve's car.

"What took you so long?" Steve looked back at you "Wait, where's the little butthead?"

"He's probably talking to his girlfriend, I don't care. If he's gonna be late, he can be late. I'm not losing my ride."

"Looks like someone's in a mood today huh?" Robin teased you as Steve started the car.

"Nah, the little shit might get on my nerves but you two always end up cheering me up. Unless Steve starts talking about whatever girl he's taking out this weekend, then I'd rather just eat a handful of broken glass."

"Oh my god, that's EXACTLY what he's been doing since I got in the goddamn car!" Robin turns back to look at you, holding her hands up to her ears "If i have to listen to him talk about having sex with Linda for one more second i swear to god-"

"Heidi! I was talking about Heidi! How can you complain about me talking about something you're not even listening to?"

You just can't help but laugh at them arguing like an old married couple. You love them so much it almost hurts.

"At least I'm actually doing something with my dating life, unlike the both of you." he said in a sarcastic tone.

For the next five minutes he and Robin went back and forth about how she can't just ask Vicky out and how she definitely should ask Vicky out because of the whole "people who like boobies" thing. You space out for a second and snap your head as you hear Eddie's name.

"What about Eddie?" you ask, trying to get back to the conversation.

"See?" Robin snaps "One second she's totally inside her own little head and as soon as someone mentions him she starts paying attention. How does that not qualify as having the most heart-wrecking massive crush on someone?"

"Shut up!" you bite back, trying to defend yourself, but obviously failing, because she was right.

"Ladies, ladies! Calm down, there's no reason to get feisty. You're BOTH chickening out, not asking Vicky and Eddie out. Though I actually see where Robin"s coming from."

"Steve, c'mon-" you try yet again to tell him you're not chickening out, but he doesn't want to hear it again.

"No! Look, you listen to me, how on earth do you manage to take down three military trained Russians and still be afraid to ask him out?"

"It's not that simple!" you frown, now starting to feel like a little girl pouting over your parents giving you a lecture.

"Yeah, sure," Robin snorts "you only hang out alone with him pretty much every day to help him study so he can finally graduate"

"You know what?" you snap at them "I don't have to justify my non-existent love life to either one of you. I'm just gonna keep pretending I don't have feelings for him. Who knows, maybe he'll ask me out? That's a possibility!"

"Okay, okay. We'll drop it." Steve says, lifting his hands from the wheel for a second, in surrender.

"We just care about you, babe" Robin follows his lead "You know that, right?"

"I do."

— 

You and Robin sit at your regular cafeteria table, a couple tables away from the designated Hellfire Club table, where Eddie is yelling at Dustin and Mike about something, making it a little hard to listen to what Robin is talking to you about.

"Seriously, I'm really worried about Max. I mean, we all know she's been depressed since Billy… y'know. But she was way off today at the pep rally, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess" Max was to you what Dustin was to Steve, something between a friend and the little sister you never had. "I've been begging her to talk to me, to tell me if there's something I can do, but she just won't-"

You lose your train of thought when you see Eddie climb up the table, walk across it, jump off it and yell nonsense around the cafeteria.

"God, he's really worked up today, huh?" Robin says, turning her head back to look at Eddie's little scene.

"I wonder what Dustin and Mike were talking to him about. He threw at least five mini pretzels at each one of them while he was yapping about something." you chuckle and roll your eyes when he catches you looking at his performance and gives you a smile and a quick wink. "He's kinda funny when he gets mad at them."

"Funny. Right." Robin turns her head back to look at you. "You obviously think he's just funny, not cute or anything else."

"Dude, you said you'd drop it!"

"I'm sorry!" she giggles "It's just hilarious when your cheeks turn all red just because he smiled at you. You look so silly!"

You watch as Eddie pulls Dustin and Mike by the collar of their Hellfire shirts and pushes them away from the table, both of them running off the cafeteria like they're in a rush. Eddie turns around and walks towards you.

"Okay, now shut the fuck up. He's coming our way."

Eddie heads towards you with slow dramatic steps, leaning over and resting his elbows on the end of the table, an evil grin on his face. 

"Hey ladies. Whatcha talkin 'bout?"

"Nothing much," you turn to face him, now with a playful little smirk of your own. "just watching you make a fool of yourself yet again. Quite the show you got going on there."

He gasps, spreading his palm over his chest, like he's offended by you calling him a fool.

"A fool? How dare you. And yes, thank you for recognizing my performing talents. It is one of my many gifts, as you know."

"Sure do", you remember the days long D&D sessions you attended when you used to be a part of the Hellfire Club. His theatrics flooding the room as he masters his most diabolical campaigns, standing up on his wooden carved throne and emphatically yelling the lines he'd written and planned for weeks, his voice echoing the drama club room, his eyes round and wide sparkling at the dim light as he smiles with pride over one of the only things he actually felt like he was good at.

"We miss you at the club, y'know?" his voice snaps you out of your trance. He sounds almost sad.

"Yeah, I miss you guys too. But you know, I really needed the job at Family Video." Now you sound sad too. "It's a shame my shifts are not scheduled as Robin and Steve's. Can't even make plans without risking the odds of a last minute shift."

"Study sesh still up today after class right?" he quirks a brow.

"Sure!" you try not to sound too excited, but judging by the look Robin gives you, it seems like you failed.

"Great! It's a date then." he flashes you a big smile, giving you a quick kiss at the top of your head. "Thanks sweetheart, you're the best. See ya later!"

With that, he turns around to get back to the Hellfire table. Robin looks at you with something that looks a lot like pity in her eyes. "Ouch. That 's gotta hurt."

"A little." you shrug. "But it's okay, I guess. Better than not having him around."

"Oh, for the love of GOD, just ask him out already!" she says, a little too loud.

"Sure. When you ask Vicky."

"Hm. Touché, I guess."

—

You were walking out the door, headed to your and Eddie's usual study session spot at the picnic table in the woods, when Dustin and Mike approached you.

"What are you doing tonight?" Dustin asked.

"Uh… I don't know, maybe watching the game? Robin is playing with the band and Steve is taking his date, so I'll probably just tag along with them after we get off work. Why?"

"We need a sub for Lucas at the end of Eddie's campaign tonight." Mike explained. "Can you come?"

"Pleeeeeease?" Dustin begged, before you could even think about the question. "I'll clean your room for the whole spring break!"

"Dustin, you don't even clean your room. My room is always tidy, there's no way you can make it cleaner than it already is."

"I'll do the dishes everytime my mom asks you to do it! I'll clean the cat's litter box! You name it, I'll do it. Just… please?"

You couldn't help but laugh. Dustin was offering to do all those things for you, when you'd actually join them for free. Getting to hang out with Eddie was already enough to get you to agree to fill in for Lucas, but the extra bribe from your cousin sure was welcome. 

"Okay, fine. But hey, no telling your mom about our deal okay? You know she does not like it when you take care of any of the cat related chores. She knows the cat's terrified of you."

"Deal!" he jumped up and down like an excited little kid. "Thank you thank you thank youuuu!", his voice slowly faded away while he ran to wherever else he was going to now, Mike following shortly after him.

You made your way through the woods, even though you knew you were a little early. You always liked to be at the picnic table a little before Eddie, to set up your textbooks and make a checklist of all the topics you'd be helping him with that day. You wouldn't consider yourself very smart, but you always got good grades at history and literature, so Eddie asked you if you could help him study. He really wanted to graduate this year, and part of you hoped it was because he would get to graduate with you. He always talked about how school would suck even more if you weren't there anymore, so you decided to take a little of your time out of school and work to help him — not only for his sake, but also because it is the only time you get to be alone with him, close to him. God, you feel pathetic.

As you get closer to the spot, you hear his laugh. At first you're confused, because he never gets there before you and as far as you knew, he had no idea you'd always be there at least 15 minutes before him. Also, why was he laughing by himself in the middle of the woods? He usually only gets high after you're done studying, so you assume he's not high, which makes it even weirder. Before you could get close enough to ask him what was so funny that got him laughing like an idiot by himself in the middle of the woods, you hear another laugh. A girls laugh.

Silently, you walk slowly towards the picnic table, trying not to be seen. When you get close enough to see them without them seeing you, you recognise who he's laughing with. It's Chrissy Cunningham. You feel your heart drop as you watch him trying to make her laugh, the same way he always makes you laugh. What the hell is happening here? You can't quite understand what they're saying without coming a little closer to them, but you don't wanna risk getting caught, so you just watch as Eddie jumps and claps his hands and Chrissy laughs at his dramatic reaction at whatever it was she'd said to him.

You know you shouldn't feel this jealous, he wasn't your boyfriend or anything like that — hell, you couldn't even gather the courage to tell him how you feel —, and you knew Chrissy, she was a very sweet girl. She was always nice to you, even when the other cheerleaders would call you names and stick bubblegum to your hair, she was always the one to tell them to shut up and teach you a few beauty hacks in the bathroom to get the gum out of your hair without having to cut it off. But maybe that was exactly the point. She was so pretty, and so nice, you wouldn't stand a chance against her.

As Eddie turned around and playfully punched the tree behind him, you caught a glimpse of a small gathering of tiny wildflowers resting by Chrissy's side, at the bench she was sitting on — wildflowers like the ones that grow near his trailer. Did he get her flowers? Did he HANDPICK flowers? For her? —, and you feel a knot forming on your throat. He pulled at the neck of his shirt, exposing his chest tattoo and you felt your eyes filling up with tears. What was that about? Was he flirting with her?

Even though you knew it was not a good idea, you took a few steps closer, quietly, so you could hear the conversation.

"You should come see us!" you hear him say. "We play at the Hideout on Tuesdays, it's pretty cool. We actually get a crowd of about… five drunks."

You feel the hot tears start to roll down your face. You always try to go see him play at the Hideout whenever you can. You've been there the past three weeks watching them play. Why is he talking about it like no one watching them is actually important? Like you're not important?

"You know, you're not how I thought you'd be like." Chrissy laughs.

"Mean and scary?" he replies.

That was enough for you. It's not like he was doing anything wrong, but it felt like someone had punched you at your stomach. It hurts to see him treating some other girl the same way he treated you, the way you thought he treated you because he liked you, because he might like you back. You tried to not make much noise as you turned around and followed back the path you came from. There was no way you could sit and study with him like you were not heartbroken.

—

"Chrissy Cunningham?" Steve asked, still not quite believing what you'd just told them. "As in Jason Carver's little princess of Hawkins High cheerleader girlfriend Chrissy Cunningham?"

"Yes." you assured.

"Are you sure it was her?" Robin asked, also in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Heard her voice, saw her face. It was definitely her."

"Shit, that sucks, I'm sorry." Robin tries to comfort you, reaching a hand to tap your shoulder.

"What the hell was she doing with him anyways?" Steve questions. "Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"Maybe she was buying some weed?" 

"Robin, c'mon." you chuckle, sadly. "Chrissy Cunningham? Buying weed? Be fucking serious."

"Yeah Robin, I hate to say it but it makes absolutely no sense." Steve agrees.

The three of you stay silent for a little too long and you feel your friends' eyes on you, looking at you with pity, and you hate it. Finally, after a few more seconds (that actually felt like hours), the silence is broken when the phone at the Video Family counter starts to ring. Robin walks away to pick up the phone and you feel Steve's arms wrapped around you.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier today in the car," he says. "I know I was a little too pushy and I know you're not chickening out. I know you're just afraid to get rejected, and us teasing you about it was not okay. I'm sorry about what happened too, with Chrissy and all. For what it's worth I still think there's probably a good explanation for it. I bet it'll be okay."

You hold back your sobs as you lean into your best friend's shoulder, trying not to stain his clothes with your tears. Even though you're still hurting, a good old bear hug from Steve always makes you feel better, like he squeezes together all of your broken pieces back into place.

"Hey, listen…" you feel Robin tap on your shoulder and you raise your head from Steve's chest. "Eddie's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

Shit. 

"Tell him I'm not here!"

"Yeah I kinda already told him you were here, that's not gonna work."

"Shit. Fine."

You walk over to the phone and pick it up, both Robin and Steve following you to the front counter.

"Hello?"

"Hey, thank god I found you!" he sighs, relieved. "What the hell happened? I waited for you for like, half an hour and you didn't show up so I got worried because you're never late so I went looking for you but I couldn't find you anywhere," he rambles, like he does when he's nervous "so I- I went home and called your place but your aunt said you weren't there and I didn't know where else to call so I figured you were at work? Oh thank god you're there I was about to call the cops!"

"Yeah sorry about that, I was uh…" you look over at Robin and Steve, trying to come up with an excuse about why you didn't meet him like you'd planned earlier. "I- Robin! Robin had uh… band practice for the uh- tonight's the championship game so she asked me to fill in for her, sorry I forgot to tell you I was not gonna make it."

"But… wasn't that Robin who just picked up the phone?" he sounds confused. You look back and see Robin facepalming her forehead and Steve rubbing the bridge of his nose between his index and his thumb, shaking his head. Shit. You suck at lying. 

"Yes- yeah. She uh, she was at band practice but now she's here, she actually just got here. Yeah."

"Oh okay…" 

"Yeah, listen Eddie I gotta go now, talk to you later, bye!" you slam the phone back at the receiver, hanging up.

"Well, that went… well…?" Steve forces a smile.

"Sure!" Robin holds both of her thumbs up, also trying to look like she didn't think you just dealt with the situation in the worst way possible.

"Yeah sure. I'm gonna go home so I can cry in the bathroom now, I guess. Peace out." you said as you walked out the door. 

When you got home, you remembered you'd agreed to fill in as a sub for Lucas at Hellfire. Of course you did. Because you're just a stupid dumb piece of shit who couldn't pass any opportunity to follow Eddie around like a little puppy. So, you go looking for Dustin around the house to tell him you wouldn't make it to Hellfire, only to find out he's not home. You figured he's probably at Mike's, so you call the Wheelers'. 

"Hello?" Nancy picks up the phone after two rings.

"Nancy! Hey, is Dustin there? He's not home, I figured he'd be at your place with Mike?"

"Oh, hey! Yeah, they're upstairs, I'll go get him for you."

"Thanks Nance, I-" you got cut off by her screaming on the other end of the line.

"MIKE! PHONE FOR DUSTIN!" you hear her call. "So, you going to the game tonight? It's been a while since the last time we went out, we should do something after the game, I miss you!"

"Yeah, I miss you too!" you tell her. And you mean it. It's really been a while since the last time you two did something together. "I'm actually going to spend the night at Robin's tho. We can go to the movies tomorrow, maybe?"

"Sure! I can pick you up at 5, what do you think?"

"Sounds great, I'll see you then!"

"Great! Oh, here 's Dustin. See you at the game tonight!"

"See ya!"

"Hey, what do you mean you'll be at the game? Thought you were gonna come with us to Hellfire tonight" the other line now shifts to Dustin's voice.

"Yeah, about that, I'm not going anymore. Sorry."

"What? Why?"

"Something came up. Maybe you could ask Erica?"

"Erica? You know Eddie 's gonna lose his shit if I take her as a sub for Lucas."

"Yeah, I know, but it's her or nothing. Sorry, Dusty. I'll make it up to you okay? I promise."

"Fine. But you owe me one!"

"Big time, I know. Gotta go now, take care okay? See you after the game."

"Yeah, see ya." 

You felt bad about letting Dustin down. You really did. But you also knew you wouldn't last that much at Hellfire without crying, and that would be even worse.

After an hour or so of crying your eyes out, you decided to do your makeup. Even though you were feeling like absolute shit, you knew you couldn't look like absolute shit, and you usually get a boost of self esteem after getting your makeup done, and god knows you could use that right now. So, after spending half an hour doing your eyeliner on each eye, you changed into your jeans and your favorite little tank top, put on your old school black Vans, grabbed some random jacket that was hanging at the back of your chair and left to watch the game.

"Aunt Claudia?" you yelled from the front door, almost forgetting to tell her you were leaving.

"Yes honey?" she yelled back from her bedroom.

"I'm leaving to watch the championship game, probably will spend the night at Robin's, okay? You don't have to wait up for me." 

"Okay honey, have fun and be safe okay?" 

"Will do, see you tomorrow!" 

At the game, you sat right next to the band, Robin was right by your side and Steve was with his date a couple of rows back. You didn't really care for the game, you just needed to… not be alone. You and Robin had plans to go to her place after the game and watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the tenth time in the last few months so you could get Eddie out of your head. Before the game started, you watched as Chrissy and the other cheerleaders danced and jumped around the gym and couldn't help it when your eyes flooded up with tears again. As you tried to get yourself together, you felt Robin's hand on your shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah just… fuck, I can't even hate her, she's the sweetest girl on the cheer squad."

Before Robin could say anything, everyone was standing up for the national anthem. And then you saw Tammy Thompson walking towards the mic to SING the national anthem. You held back laughter as you looked at Robin and then turned around to look at Steve, both of their jaws dropped.

"No way." Robin muttered, as she took turns looking at you, Tammy and Steve, not knowing exactly where to look at. As Tammy started to sing, you felt your eyes flood again, but this time, it was not because of Eddie or the thought of him with Chrissy, but because you were trying so hard not to laugh. She sounded exactly like a muppet.

"Oh my god I want to rip my ears out" you manage to let out without bursting into laughter.

"I told you. Muppet." you could see Steve mouthing over to Robin.

"Okay, she does sound like a muppet." Robin admits.

"Oh my god she does kinda sound like a muppet" you hear Vicky say in a low voice.

You watch as Robin and Vicky laugh at each other's jokes, until Robin lets her ADHD get the best out of her and starts talking faster than her brain's working. Even though she talks too fast sometimes, you think it's cute how she gets nervous around Vicky. They would make such a cute couple. 

After the game, you approach Lucas, giving him a tight hug. 

"That was absolutely crazy, Lucas! You just took the ball and threw it like it was nothing and then we were like 'oh god is he gonna score?' and then you DID i swear i don't think I'll ever understand how you did that so quickly, like you just-" Robin rambled, as she held her hands up, like she was tossing a basketball through the hoop. 

"That was insane, man. Really, you're a natural." Steve said like the proud mama he is to the kids. 

"Thanks guys. I-" Lucas started, but you heard someone call out to him.

"Hey Sinclair, you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there!" he yelled back. "Look guys, I gotta go. But thank you so much for coming. It meant a lot to me."

The three of you smiled as he left to follow after whoever it was that called him. After a second, Robin turned to Steve.

"Hey, where's Heidi?"

"That's Brenda, Robin."

"Yeah, sure, sorry. Where's Brenda?"

"She uh…" he looked back at the crowd leaving the gym, like he was looking for someone. "She ditched me, okay? She left to talk to Tammy Thompson and then came back to tell me she was going to Tammy's to catch up or something like that."

"Ouch, ditched for Tammy Thompson?" Robin said, following Steve as he started to walk back to his car.

"Again?" you look over at Robin, the both of you laughing — not in a mean way, but playful, like the three of you always were.

"Ha ha, very funny." Steve bites back, sarcastic. "Any more jokes and the two of you are walking home."

As you walk over to Steve's car, you watch as Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire Club emerge from the drama club room, victorious. He waves at you, but you pretend you don't see it, turning over to Dustin, who's walking up to you.

"Hey, can I join you guys? Eddie said he's gotta go straight to his place tonight, so he can't drive me home."

"Steve's dropping us at Robin's, I'm spending the night out. But maybe Nancy can take you home?" 

"Oh, okay. Sure, I'll talk to Mike. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow. Night, Dusty!" you give him a hug and kiss the top of his head, watching as he runs off to catch up to Mike.

You turn around to Robin and Steve, puzzled look on your face. Eddie always takes Dustin home after Hellfire, why couldn't he take him home tonight?

You get in Steve's car and you exit the school's parking lot. You see Eddie's van a little ahead out the parking lot, where he always parks when he's doing a deal or up to something shady. As Steve drives past the van, you see Eddie holding the door open for Chrissy to hop in.

"What the fuck?" you say, maybe a little louder than you intended.

Steve and Robin turn to look at the direction your eyes were headed, also looking at Eddie as he closes the passenger door and Chrissy turns to reach for the seatbelt (and you think to yourself she probably won't find the seatbelt, because Eddie's van has no seatbelts).

"Oh shit." Robin mutters as she turns her head back to look at the van, now behind Steve's moving car.

"Hey uh…" Steve tries to get your attention. "don't- try not to think too much about it, it's probab-"

"I wanna go home." you cut him off.

"You sure?" Robin asks. "I already have the Rocky Horror VHS with me, we can watch Blade Runner too, I forgot to take it back to the store last week and I know you love it so maybe-"

"Please just-" you cut her off too. "I wanna go home. Please, take me home." you can feel your voice trembling and tears already running down your cheeks.

"Okay, it's okay." Steve talks in a soft voice, trying to calm you down. "We'll take you home."

The ride to your house is awkwardly silent, but you don't really care enough to be bothered by it. Your head hurts and your heart sinks to your stomach at the thought of Eddie taking Chrissy home. Not only because of your feelings for him (though, mostly because of it), but also because Chrissy is Jason's girlfriend. You know what Jason would do to Eddie if he finds out about this. It wouldn't be the first time Eddie gets beaten up by Jason and the rest of his party, and even though Eddie always came back laughing about his black eye, spitting blood and limping, you knew he'd spend the next few nights sleeping at the back of his van, so Wayne doesn't see him covered in bruises — so Wayne doesn't see him looking the same way he looked when his father dropped him off at the trailer and never came back to pick him up. You know he can take care of himself, you know he's strong enough to throw a punch or two, but  you couldn't stand the thought of him spending his days alone at the back of his van, not being able to see anyone because school was off. The whole situation made your heart ache.

As Steve pulls over in front of your house, you feel two pairs of eyes on you.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Robin asks, concerned.

"I'll be fine. I just need a little time, that's all. Thank you guys, for taking care of me. Sorry about the buzzkill. Get home safe, okay? I love you." you opened the door and climbed out of the car.

"We love you too. Call us if you need anything, yeah?" Steve says leaning over the car window.

"I will, I promise."

You open the door, hoping aunt Claudia was already asleep and that Dustin wasn't home yet. You tiptoe your way to your room and close the door, throwing yourself at the bed, not even bothering changing into your pajamas. Stuffing your face in your pillow, you cry yourself to sleep, hoping it was all a bad dream, but knowing it wasn't.

[divine-knight-hand]

Mistletoe Hijinx

Loki Masterlist || Full Masterlist || Read on AO3

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x Female Reader

Summary: What's to follow when the Norse god of Mischief leads you under the mistletoe at an Avengers Christmas party? Mistletoe hijinx!

Content Warnings: Enemies to lovers, smut, fingering, unprotected sex, and... MISTLETOE HIJINX!!!

Notes: Happy holidays, @simplyholl!!! I was lucky enough to be your Secret Santa in @fictive-sl0th's Secret Santa event. I also have to thank you, because as I was reading your request, you gave me the perfect title for this. Hehehe! 🤭

This is also (kinda?) my first time actually writing an enemies to lovers fic, so I hope you enjoy what I came up with!

Word Count: 2,617

Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

The lobby of the Avengers tower was filled with seasonal music and casual chatter. This party was a lot calmer than Tony’s usual ragers, but that was probably because it was an Avengers-only event. That meant no random snobby rich people were invited, for which many of us were extremely grateful.

“Glad you could make it, rookie.” Tony winked as we tapped our glasses together before sipping from them.

I rolled my eyes. Despite the fact that I’d been an Avenger for a little over a year now, Tony still insisted on using that ridiculous nickname. I stopped arguing with him about it a while ago.

Unfortunately, once I rolled my eyes, they landed on a figure that sent a familiar fire coursing through my veins. Loki noticed my gaze on him and shot me a condescending smirk, paired with a wave of the same nature. Damnit!

“Why don’t you go mingle with the masses?” Tony lazily waved his hand towards the center of the room before walking off to chat with Steve.

I immediately darted towards a nearby door in the hopes of finding a bathroom to sulk in before feeling a cold hand around my wrist. “Leaving without so much as a hello? You wound me so.”

I sighed, accepting my fate before turning around with a forced smile. “Loki! Hi…”

“Hello, agent.” His lips curled into another trademark Loki smirk. God, I love when he smirks at me like that… I mean- I hate it! I hate that stupid smirk!

I fought back a scowl for the sake of keeping up appearances. Just because I couldn’t stand him didn’t mean the rest of the team had to know that. It was a matter of professionalism and all that mature adult stuff.

“Are you going to make conversation now, or stare at me as if I’ve just risen from Helheim?” He softly chuckled.

“Maybe you should go back.” I retorted with an overly wide grin.

“Ouch.” Loki dramatically held a hand over his heart. “That tongue of yours is sharp as ever.”

“Not as sharp as the knife I want to drag across your throat.” My cheerful mask slipped, just for a moment, but it was long enough for him to notice.

“Upset with me already?” Loki softly chuckled. “But I’d hardly had my fun with you yet.”

I didn’t bother trying to force a smile anymore. “Not tonight. I’m here as Tony’s friend, not your plaything.”

“Is that what you believe I consider you to be?” He moved closer to me, and I instinctively inched backwards, suddenly feeling small.

“I- I don’t know,” I stammered. “I just-”

“You just, what?” Loki cut me off. “You wish to back down already? You seemed so sure of yourself just a moment ago. Where did the fire in your eyes go, agent? Don’t tell me you’re about to start sniveling in a pathetic display. Not after you set my expectations of you so high.”

My cheeks burned. Not only were his comments plain rude, but they were humiliating, too. Along with my embarrassment, I felt something twist at the pit of my stomach. It was vile, and my vision slowly went red. I stopped moving backwards, biting my lip hard enough to almost draw blood.

But, that wasn’t enough to stop me from freaking out.

“Just leave me the hell alone, Loki!” I blurted, shouting above the music.

He reeled backwards in surprise, giving me a little space. I didn’t even care that everything suddenly stopped and all the eyes in the room were silently turning on us. I was fed up.

“I’m sick and tired of this!” I roared. “Okay? I’m done!”

“Uh, Y/N?” Tony quickly approached my side.

“Not now, Tony.” I held a hand out in his direction, eyes unmoving from Loki. “Did you seriously think I’d put up with you forever? Like, god, I can’t fucking stand you, and I’m not playing nice with you for the sake of saving face anymore!”

“Y/N…” Tony cut in again.

“Not now, Tony.” I hissed before continuing. “And you have some nerve going out of your way to try to make my life a living hell. Every. Single. Day. From the moment I joined this team, you wouldn’t let me catch a single break. What, are you trying to prove some point? To get under my skin or make me mad so I’d blow up in front of everyone? Well, it worked!” I threw my hands out in a dramatic gesture. “It fucking worked, because I’m pissed! Good job, Loki. Great. Fucking. Job.” I slow clapped as the god in front of me raised an eyebrow at my theatrics, but made no effort to respond.

In fact, the corner of his lip twitched up into a knowing smirk, and the audacity of the action sent another wave of rage coursing through me. “Is something funny, Laufeyson? Is this a fucking joke to you? God, I just wanna slap the sh-”

“Y/N!” Tony cut in once again.

“WHAT, TONY?” I roared, finally turning my attention to him.

He vaguely gestured up at something above my head. “Before you keep tearing into reindeer games over here, you might want to look up.”

“What the hell are you-” My blood ran cold once I my eyes landed on the real reason why everyone was staring at us.

“I believe Midgardian tradition states that those standing together under a mistletoe must share a kiss, yes?” Loki purred.

“‘Tis the season~” Tony remarked before sipping on the drink in his hand as he slipped away.

I glared daggers at his back, hoping he could feel it. I noticed him shiver under my gaze, and almost felt pride at my handiwork. Almost.

Loki clearing his throat brought my attention back to him. “I don’t believe I’ve gotten an answer from you.”

“Huh?” I didn’t remember him asking me a question.

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Are you so dense that I must be direct with you?” I opened my mouth to make a retort, but he continued before I could get a word in. “May I kiss you?”

Heat immediately crept into my cheeks. If I said that I didn’t want to kiss him, I’d be lying. Loki was rude and obnoxious, but he was also gorgeous and clever. Sure, his mischief and plots got on my nerves, but my feelings for him were enough to drive me crazier than any scheme of his.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Fine, let’s just get this over with.”

Loki softly chuckled. “As you wish.”

My heart fluttered as he began to lean in, and I closed my eyes before our lips touched. It was soft at first. Sweet, even. Then, he pushed me against the doorframe, parting my lips with his tongue as my hands reached out behind me in surprise.

There were whoops and shouts from our onlookers, but once Loki wrapped his arms around me, the world fell away. As he deepened our kiss, I moved my arms to grasp at his back, pulling him closer.

The kiss, it was electrifying, but it was all too short. Loki broke away first, and I was suddenly overly aware of the cheers around us. My cheeks burned red, and I sputtered nonsense, trying–and failing–to formulate some idea. Any idea. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t believe Loki actually kissed me!

“It would seem our agent here is struggling to get a hold of herself.” He chuckled before sweeping me off my feet to pick me up bridal-style, eliciting a surprised yelp from me. “I think it best we retire early. Off to my chambers, we go.”

I heard the rest of the team whooping, one of them even letting out a whistle as Loki walked off with me. I was stunned. What was happening?

“If I’d known a kiss was all it took to silence you like this, I would have done it a while ago.” I felt his chest shake as he laughed to himself.

“Rude.” I swatted at his shoulder, but I couldn't fight the smile tugging at my lips.

We finally arrived at his room, and he gently set me down on his bed. “I believe there’s a conversation to be had between us.”

I gulped as he doubled back to close the door. “What is there to talk about?”

He sat down next to me, raising a skeptical eyebrow at me. “Don’t tell me you felt nothing after that. Believe it or not, your silence was very telling.”

I looked down at my hands in embarrassment, twiddling my fingers. When I didn’t immediately respond, he continued. “Just as it is now.”

Another moment of charged silence hung between us before Loki finally lost his composure. “This silence is maddening! Tell me, agent. Do you love me?”

My eyes snapped to him. Did I hear that correctly?

Any coherent thought vacated my brain when he began to lean in closer. “Do you burn for me, as I do for you?” My breath caught in my throat as our faces were mere inches apart. “And don’t try to lie to me. I felt your hands at my back as we kissed. As you were lost in our passion. You couldn’t get enough of me, could you?”

My cheeks burned with humiliation as his mouth widened into a grin. “Worry not, pet. I have no problem granting you what you seek, as long as you ask.”

“And what is it that I seek?” I dared to ask, though my words came out no louder than a whisper.

“Tell me.” His voice dipped low. Sultry, even. “I want to hear you say it.”

I slowly reached up, hesitantly cupping his face in my hands. I felt sparks under my fingertips where I touched him. I wasn’t sure of much at that moment, but I knew exactly what I wanted.

“You.” I breathed. “I want you.”

“Be careful with your words, darling.” He softly chuckled. “If I had my way with you-”

“Kiss me.” I cut him off. “Kiss me again… Please…”

“And not a mistletoe in sight.” Loki murmured, “Very well…” He slowly pushed me onto my back before bringing his lips back to mine.

This kiss was just as electric as the first. He once again made the bold move of parting my lips with his tongue, and I eagerly let him. Satisfied, he lowered his body against mine, hands traveling along my hips. I moaned into his mouth, grasping against the leather on his back. Any sweet pretenses were gone, replaced by a heavy air of passion.

A dull throb drummed to life between my thighs, only made worse once I felt his growing bulge against my leg. I never would have thought that I’d ever kiss Loki once, let alone twice, and with this desire between us. I was almost dizzy. A hunger suddenly grew in me, and I already knew the only person who could satisfy it.

When our lips parted, I breathlessly muttered, “More…”

“Needy little thing.” Loki softly chidded. “Why don’t you use your words and tell me what it is that you want?”

God, he was so cocky! But, for some odd reason, I still needed him…

“Please,” I desperately gripped the front of his tunic. “Fuck me, Loki.”

His gaze darkened as his eyes trailed over my body. “Oh, how I’ve dreamt of hearing you say that.”

With a slight tilt of his head, his seidr washed over us, and we were both bare. I shivered against the sudden draft before he lowered his body back against mine, pulling me into another kiss.

As one of his hands came to rest at my hip, the other strayed along my outer thigh, before trailing back up the inner side to tease my slick cunt. A rumble of approval came from deep in his throat as he worked me up. My fingers tangled in his hair as I let out another moan.

When we broke our kiss to catch our breaths, he brought his fingers to his lips, slowly licking them clean, all while keeping eye contact with me. I thought I would go into cardiac arrest.

“I suppose this would be your last chance to leave.” Loki’s cheeks were dusted in a light blush, sweat beginning to build at his brow.

“If I wanted to leave, I wouldn’t be here.” I insisted. It was true. I couldn’t explain it, but something kept me here. Maybe it was just physical, but that didn’t feel right with me.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he began to tease his tip at my folds. “Gods, you don’t know what you do to me…” He grunted.

I absentmindedly licked my lips. “Then show me.”

Without another word, Loki pushed in, slamming into me with another kiss as he immediately set a brutal pace. He was rough, grabbing my hips so hard, I figured they would bruise. With each thrust of his hips, the sound of skin against skin rang in my ears.

My back arched off of the mattress, and I raked my nails down his back as his kisses trailed along my neck, quickly turning to bites as growls that sounded almost animalistic tumbled from his throat.

“Loki…” I moaned. “Ohhh, Loki… God… Don’t stop…”

“Norns…” He groaned. “You’re taking me so perfectly… Ah- That’s it, pet… Tell me how I’m making you feel…”

“So good…” Tears started stinging at my eyes. “God, it- Ah- feels so good…��

Loki was unrelenting in his pacing. Had my hands not been at his back, I knew they would have gripped the sheets for dear life. As I felt the tension building in my core, I felt that the only thing keeping me tethered to this plane of existence was the feel of Loki’s body against mine.

As he continued, I quickly neared my peak. “I- I’m getting close…”

“As am I…” Loki rasped. “Cum for me, darling.”

With that, I felt the tension snap in my core, and my eyes rolled back.

“Ah- L- LOKI!!!” I cried out as my inner walls fluttered around his cock.

Loki helped me ride out my high until his own orgasm washed over him. His length twitched, spilling its seed inside of me.

Once we came down from our peaks, he slowly pulled out of me, and I whimpered at the sudden empty sensation I felt.

Loki then rolled us over, using his seidr to clean up the mess dripping between my legs, as well as conjure a blanket over us while he held me to his chest. I felt his hand pet my hair as we worked to catch our breaths. 

As Loki and I laid in post-orgasm bliss, he raised a curious eyebrow down at me. “You know, I don’t believe you ever answered my question.”

“Huh?” I didn’t remember him asking me a question. Though, it was hard to think of anything through the ecstasy-born haze still in my brain.

He grabbed my hand, fingers interlocking with mine. “Do you love me?”

My heart fluttered. This was serious. I mean, I literally let him fuck me into his mattress, but did I love Loki? Could I consider what I felt towards him… love?

I cared about him. Deeply. He was a nuisance, but one I enjoyed having around. I couldn’t imagine a life without him. Especially not after tonight. I needed him with me for the rest of my life. I just knew it.

I gave his hand a squeeze, a smirk tugging at my lips. “I do.”

Tagging: @eleniblue @mischief2sarawr @joyful-enchantress @mochie85 @muddyorbs @holdmytesseract @lady-rose-moon @superficialdomina @cultofcarter @coldnique @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @smolvenger r @loz-3 @lokisgoodgirl @acidcasualties @glitchquake @nyxlaufeyson @fandxmslxt69 @holymultiplefandomsbatman

[thezombieprostitute]

Dream Come True - Part 3

Summary: The “Garbage Men” are the guys in the mob who get the dirt on others and clean up after the higher ups. They have many different ways of gathering intel by running legitimate businesses. One such business is Jefferson/Jensen’s cyber cafe where you regularly go to work. You’ve actually become good friends with Jefferson’s daughter and Jensen’s niece. You even volunteered as their after-school tutor. One day, there’s a robbery attempt where you get hurt protecting the girls. This is how you are introduced to Curtis Everett, the guy in charge of the “Garbage Men”.

Warnings: Violence mentioned and referenced, not written. Insecure reader. Bullying with an emphasis on fat shaming. Please let me know if I miss any!

Part 2 -- Part 4

Series Masterlist

Ransom was not having a good day. Truth be told, he hadn't had a good day since Steve punched his stomach over a week ago. The writer's block had hit harder than usual. Many applicants for the Assistant position were garbage, completely upsetting his idea that you just needed to google the right answers.

He was starting to realize that Fatso, as he had taken to calling her in his head, was able to help him through his writing blocks because she had the context of the other questions, some rough draft information, and she'd include ways to use her research into the story. Maybe he just needed to actually hire someone from the "competent" file and try from there?

Problem was, time was an issue. His writer's block had kicked in hard and his publisher was getting more impatient about updates. He spent so much time just staring at his computer.

He was startled out of his contemplation by a phone call. If it was his publisher he'd just ignore it but the Caller ID showed "Steve Rogers".

Ransom answered, "Rogers! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Where the hell are you Drysdale?" Steve was quiet growling into the phone. Indicating he was around others.

"What do you mean?"

"The damned Stark party? Raising funds for Rhodes's campaign?!" Ransom could swear he heard Steve's teeth grinding. "You're supposed to be here chatting with Mrs. Devereaux. Buttering her up to at least not donate to Wilford?!"

"Shit," Ransom jumped up and ran towards his closet. "Tell her I'll be there in 20 minutes. If she needs an excuse, I was writing up a storm. I'll make it up to her by naming a character after her or something."

"Just. Get. Here." Steve hung up.

Yeah, Ransom was not having a good day.

Your life was returning to some sense of normalcy. The crutches were a pain but, thankfully, you didn't have a lot of places to go. You wanted to get back to working as quickly as you could, if only to feel like you were actually earning some of the money you'd been given.

But you'd kept your promise to be safe, and allow yourself to heal. You did your best to keep within the movement restrictions you were given. Part of you was still waiting for that hospital bill. Yes, Curtis, Dr. Beck, even Jake and Jefferson all said it was taken care of but part of you still waited for that dreaded notice of nonpayment.

Thankfully the cybercafe wasn't too far and you were able to convince the J's (as they told you to call them) that it was the perfect distance for your needed exercise and movement and you'd sit at the cafe long enough to rest for the return trip. You were happy to get back to tutoring the girls in the afternoons. Your mornings were spent applying for other jobs.

One morning your applications were interrupted by Jake.

"Hey, Y/N, this is Hal," Jake gestured to the handsome, shirt-haired man, wearing a too small shirt, next to him. "He's here to work with you towards getting his GED.”

"Oh, yes," you perk up. "Curtis mentioned another possible student." You reach out your hand and Hal, grinning even wider, shakes it.

"It's mighty kind of you to agree to this," he began. "I've been meaning to fill in that gap on my resume for some time.”

"Well I'm happy to help you with that. Please, have a seat so we can get started?”

Hal pulls out the nearest chair and turns it so that he sits on it backwards, his muscly arms resting on the back of the chair.

"So, is this a time that works for you," you ask. "I've got a pretty open schedule so your time preferences are get priority.”

"Well," he hesitates, "my schedule is pretty all-over-the-place. Is there any chance we could take it a week at a time?”

"Sure," you affirm. "As long as you give me notice so I'm not sitting here doing nothing.”

"Yes, ma'am," Hal nods. "I'm not in the habit of leaving pretty girls wanting." He gives a wink but you drop your eyes and sigh.

"Hal," you scold. "I'm going to guess you're the type to hit on anything that breathes?”

Clearly taken aback by your tone Hal straightens in his seat. "No," he denies. "Maybe. I swear I was just trying to compliment you.”

You pause your comeback and take a deep breath instead. "I suppose there is a difference," you concede. “Just please be careful with both of those around me. I am not a "pretty girl" and I do not appreciate being addressed as such.”

Hal's eyebrows furrow in confusion so you continue, "let's just keep the compliments related to our work? Please? I'd always prefer being smart or nice to being pretty." You give him a small smile and he visibly relaxes.

"Sure thing, Teach," he says. "So, where should we start?”

Curtis was cleaning up the interrogation room after Barnes and Fowler's latest “message” to Rumlow’s crew. They had already taken the body to drop it off on Rumlow's front door, Curtis would make sure all evidence was removed from the room. It was ugly work but maybe, just maybe, Rumlow would stop trying to push his drugs and thugs in their territory.

He was finishing up when he got a text from Jefferson saying Hal’s first session went well. He normally doesn't need these kinds of updates from the legitimate side of things but he found himself rather invested in your progress. You were unusual. A puzzle he wanted to figure out.

Or so he kept telling himself to explain why he was thinking about you so much. You’d shown yourself to be sweet and patient with others but he remembers the fire with which you spoke to him. He almost felt like a moth drawn to your light but he had to keep himself in check. For now it was enough to know you were doing well and helping his family.

At least until he got the follow up text from Jefferson saying, “Ran is looking for Teach. Ok to share info?”

Curtis felt his jaw tighten. The pompous ass had fired someone for taking a bullet. He didn't want him anywhere near you. He was sure you wouldn't want to see Ransom, either. Jake had told him you'd blocked your former boss’s number and his emails would go straight to spam. He texted back a simple “no.” Let the asshole suffer.

Part 2 -- Part 4

Tagging @alicedopey because I promised I would.

@dontbescaredtosingalong

@icefrozendeadlyqueen

@texmexdarling

@veltana

@winter-soldier-101

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged.

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

hello!! Could you do something where m!greaser turned out to be in 2 movies (first he was 10, the second when he was 16) had a total of 4 lines and 7 minutes of screen time with both. How would the gang react + Cherry when she recognized him?

Yes I would love to do that thanks so much for requesting this it’s such a fuego idea!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I love your account btw

Ponyboy Curtis

-shocked

-asks the most questions

-a lot of which you don’t know the answer because your only answer is actor and he asks a lot about the production, shooting, lighting etc.

-“do you know what model cameras they used for this shoot? And how they got that, uh, grainy effect?”

-lore master

-“but how do you think this plot played into that romance? Because to me, it doesn’t make a lotta sense…”

-out of everyone he’s the most excited

-he loves movies and now he gets to have an inside connection to film

-it’s the greatest thing ever

-he watches your part over and over fr

-would decode the whole movie (even if it’s not that deep 💀) gets into ALL the lore

-figures out that your seemingly small part is actually a lot more important to the plot than most think and explains it to you

-and you’re like 👍 😅

Johnny Cade

-mind boggled

-after he gets over it and smiles at you

-“Gee I didn’t know you were in a movie. Y/n, it’s so cool that you were in a movie!”

-he’s a total fanboy

-he’s really proud but keeps it more quiet

-will absolutely show the movie to other just so Che can slip in

-“actually… my friend was in that.”

-he’s so cute about it fr

Sodapop Curtis

-thought the movie was boring until your part

-Fr he was about to fall asleep then heard the sound of your voice and blinked his eyes open

-he recognizes it instantly and sits up and looks at the tv to confirm

-“wait… YOU WERE IN A MOVIE”

-his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets

-doesn’t like movies but this becomes his new favorite one

-is so impressed and thinks it’s super cool

-he was the widest stupidest grin on his face and (like cherry) keeps it on the entire time you talk in the movie

Darry Curtis

-I think he has the most chill reaction

-DONT get me wrong he’s super impressed but I don’t think he would like outwardly show that as much as the rest of the gang

-raises his eyebrow in surprise and turns to face you

-“you were in that?… huh, that’s pretty neat.”

-smirks and gives you a pat on the back

-“I didn’t know you did stuff like that…”

-whenever he feels upset/stressed I feel like he’d watch little 10 yr old you in the movie and it would cheer him up and clam him a bit

Dallas Winston

-Once he finds out it’s a nonstop bragging session

-to the point where you’re like ok I don’t think I should’ve told you 💀😭💅

-he teases you so hard tho

-“Careful now you’re talkin to a big time actor here”

-“Dally I had four freaking lines”

-he will tell anyone who will listen (and anyone who won’t)

-but he only ever brags about you behind your back

-he’s got a reputation to keep up

-He can’t be seen complementing you to your face or the gang will never let him hear the end of it (even though everyone knows how impressed n proud he is)

-he’s actually obsessed and whenever you leave he’d watch your part again and just smirk like “that’s my y/n”

Two Bit Matthews

-didn’t even know you could do that

-shocked in the best way like “yeah that’s y/n right there! On the TV!”

-thinks you know like every celeb now 💀

-“So did you meet Elvis Presley?! What about Audrey Hepburn??!”

-“No, two, I do not know every famous person in the world because I spent 7 minutes in a few movies 💀😭💅”

-super supportive and impressed

-he wants you to keep acting so that you can get all famous and introduce him to Hollywood people 💀

Steve Randle

-when he sees your movies for the first time he raises his eyebrows like damn

-he glances at you, nodding his head

-“I didn’t know you were such a bigshot”

-you chuckle and roll your eyes

-he thinks that you’re 10 year old self is adorable

Cherry Valance

-she’s so happy for you and sweet about it

-“You’re so talented! Even in that one where you were still pretty young”

-endless compliments

-“Why, I didn’t know I was friends with an actor??!”

-gives you the biggest grin and keeps it the whole 7 minutes you’re on screen

-she’s so impressed n proud fr

-she thinks it’s like the coolest thing, especially because she grew up around a lot of relatively boring Socs

-so this is a big deal

[deceptive-daydreams]

Eddie x reader with bad eating habits

TW - mentions of issues with eating, bad eating habits, depictions of an eating disorder

Masterlist

Anytime you go out to get something to eat with Eddie whether it be at a little place where you sit down or at a drive thru, you end up saying something like “I probably shouldn’t get this but it sounds so good…” alluding to something on the menu that’s probably got more bread and carbs. There’s some guilt in your tone and you’re kinda avoiding eye contact and kicking yourself for even saying anything because you’re embarrassed that you want something so heavy. You get super self conscious, curling in on yourself while looking at the other girls who are around, they could all pull Eddie if they wanted to.

When you glance back up at Eddie his face is twisted in frustration and you’re thinking that he’s figured out that he can pull girls that are slimmer than you, fitter. “Why the hell not? If that’s what you want then order it.” He sounds mad but not at you. You’re still acting all shy and looking down at your lap ashamed. “Cause I don’t need it.” You would simply tell him. He just scoffs and grabs your hand in his. “What do you mean you don’t need it, baby?” His demeanor would shift to something very soft and understanding. Your eyes would start to become wet and you’d be having so much anxiety all of the sudden. He’d pick up on this and then have both of your hands in his, watching you carefully so he can calculate what to say next.

“Hey, hey, didn’t mean to upset you, okay?” His voice is just above a whisper. “I just want you to know that you can eat whatever you want. I don’t know who told you otherwise but you’re safe with me, okay? Always.” You’d start crying anyway at his words and he’s mentally like oh god I said something wrong. That is until you mumble a thank you through your tears. He’d sigh, knowing you must have grown up being told things no one should ever have to hear.

He starts paying more attention to your eating habits, realizing that you won’t eat in the mornings or afternoons, only in the evenings. When you do eat it’s small portions of the actual meal in front of you. He always offers to make you something when he’s around or offers to take you out to get something but you tell him you don’t have an appetite. And it’s true, you’ve trained your body to not eat all day so you’re used to it. You both go out with the group for Steve’s birthday dinner and he sees you eyeing a burger on the menu but when he asks what you’re thinking about getting you tell him some kind of small appetizer. He knows you don’t want to order the burger because you’ve got it in your mind that everyone will be looking at you, judging you for your choice. It’s far from the truth but you can’t stop those thoughts.

An idea pops into his head and when the waiter comes around to take everyone’s order, you order your pathetic appetizer that won’t actually do much for you. He orders and then adds on “Also, can I get the burger?” And he orders it cooked just how you like. Nobody bats an eye at him ordering two entrees. Once the food comes he sets the burger in between the two of you and whispers “split this with me?” Cause he knows that you won’t eat the whole thing, half at most if you did end up ordering it for yourself. He’s just trying to help take the pressure off so you will actually eat more. It ends up being a little feast, he’s giving you some of his actual entree he ordered, you’re sharing your appetizer with him, the burger is split in half and you each take some fries. He’s now learning that if there is someone to share the food with, you become a lot less tense and actually end up eating a little bit more. He figures that you feel less alone and that’s okay with him. He’ll share every meal with you if he has to.

~end~

Masterlist

[daddyharrington]

Worth the Wait

hi bbs! okay well, after my last fic was so well received, I obviously said to myself, “self, that went great. let’s stop while we’re ahead, shall we?”

self is a v bad listener. much like reader in tonight’s offerings.

without further ado, I give you, yet-more-steve-harrington-baby-fever-nonsense. no apologies whatsoever to those of you who follow me. you had to have known what you were signing up for. 

read on for a lil blurb? oneshot? of Steve scolding pregnant and on bed rest! reader. see that GIF up there? that’s the effects of you wearing poor Steeb out with all your rebellious nonsense. (warnings for high-risk pregnancy.) as always, love you for reading, babes. 

---

“Y/N.” Steve was glaring at you from the doorway with his hands on his hips.

“what, Steve?”

“you know ‘what.’”

you glanced down at your watch. “it’s only been fifty-eight-min-oooop!”

before you could even finish the sentence, Steve had already scooped you up, bridal style, into his arms. “ooof” you huffed, catching your breath was a lot harder now that you’d entered your third trimester, and Steve hadn’t made it any easier by catching you off guard.

“we’ve talked about this babe,” he tutted at you as he carried you out of the baby’s room (where you’d just been occupied painting the walls a cool lavender) and through the hallway of your little house. “you are on modified bed rest and your hour is up, young lady.”

“oh Steve, come on, I feel fine!” you protested, waving your wet paintbrush haphazardly through the air and kicking your legs just enough to give him a slightly harder time of it.

reaching the couch, Steve carefully deposited you onto the cushions, looking for all the world like an exasperated mother hen. he raised a skeptical eyebrow at you, trying to figure out whether to tease or reprimand. the woman he cared about more than anyone else in the world was carrying his baby, and while he’d never been happier, he’d also never been more worried about anyone in his life, especially once your pregnancy was deemed “high risk.”

Steve sighed, reaching a hand out to cup your cheek in his palm. “you know your doctor said you have to take it easier now, and sixty minutes of standing and painting the nursery is all you’re allowed, sweet pea.”

“stupid incompetent cervix,” you frowned, crossing your arms above your belly. as much as you wanted to pout about it, you knew Steve was right. and though you didn’t want to admit it, you actually had been losing steam already.

“I know, babe. it sucks. but this will be over so soon,” he reassured you as he pried the paintbrush out of your hand, rested it carefully on the coffee table, and eased himself behind you so that your back rested snug against his chest. he’d been obsessed with sitting like this ever since you started showing, all the easier to rest his big warm hands on either side of your bump. the bigger you’d gotten, the less willing he’d been to takes his eyes or hands off of that lovely round belly you’d been working so hard on… and the more you’d appreciated a good belly rub.

you breathed slowly together, both of your hands feeling the baby move within you—Steve catching his breath from carrying you, you catching your breath from carrying your daughter. all those pre-birthing classes were good for something, at least. 

it was no surprise to you that Steve had already proven to be an incredible birthing partner, pouring over the pregnancy books that you lacked the focus to read because every time you sat down baby was tap-dancing against your bladder. he diligently made sure you took your prenatal vitamins every morning, fed you small snacks periodically so your stomach wouldn’t get upset by heavy meals, and—best of all—asked Joyce to help him find the best pregnancy pillow for you once your belly got so big that sleep became impossible. you almost cried the first night he brought it to you and helped you position yourself so that it relieved all the strain on your hips and ankles. god, you loved that pillow. but you loved Steve even more.

you sighed a bit, throwing your breathing cycle out of sync with Steve’s. you could immediately feel him tense behind you. alert to whatever you might need next.

“you’re so wonderful, Steve,” you hummed, nuzzling sideways into his chest as you were overcome with all of the memories you had of Steve holding you through your pregnancy. “we’re both lucky to have you.”

“me? I’m just trying to keep up, Y/N. you’re the one doing something amazing, love,” he said as he rubbed your back. “you’re making such a good home for baby girl. I know it’s not been easy, but you’re doing so well.” he looked down at you, realizing your eyes were getting heavy, and you had shifted onto your side, the only position you could comfortably sleep in. “I think someone’s too tired to do much painting now anyway,” he teased softly, not sure if you were even awake enough to respond.

“you better not finish that nursery without me, Harrington,” you mumbled, already having accepted that a nap was in your future.

“okay babe, I’ll wait for you,” he smiled, kissing your forehead and pulling a blanket over you both. it would take weeks to paint the nursery in one-hour increments, but what did he care? Steve had all the patience in the world, where you were concerned. It was always worth the wait.

[avengerscompound]

The Recruit - 35. Steve

The Recruit - An Avengers Fanfiction

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Clint Barton x Bucky Barnes x Sharon Carter x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Sam Wilson x F!Reader

Word Count: 2636

Warnings: mentions of sex, mentions of rape

Synopsis:  When Sam Wilson is set up on a blind date, he doesn’t expect anything to come from it.  He is already in a relationship after all, and not just with one other person, but a whole group of them. You never expected to end up working for the Avengers let alone be dating six of them at the same time.  Now you’re balancing a new job, a new romance, new friends, and a secret that could destroy a lot of lives if it got out.  It’s a tricky balance to get right at the best of times, but when something happens to Steve Rogers it’s up to the people who love him most to get him back.

35. Steve

Steve took one last look at himself in the mirror.  He’d dressed up.  A gunmetal three-piece suit with a pale blue tie to bring out his eyes. It was probably the most formally he’d ever dressed to go out on a date.  Dating in general had been limited.  He and Bucky had gone on the odd double date.  He’d gone out for drinks with Sam.  He'd taken Sharon out to dinner and dancing a few times.  But no date had been particularly formal or fancy.  And since becoming part of a rather large polycule, dating had been taken right off the table.

It felt strange now to be taking you out to an expensive restaurant.  Risky even.  Things had changed in the few weeks since they’d pulled that sentient black sludge from him.  For so long the group had been keeping what they had secret, and he’d known how much everyone had hated that.  While they agreed with him that keeping the secret was important, it was always him that pushed to keep it, because he didn’t want to upset the public or seem unprofessional.  He’d been more worried about people questioning if they were good enough people to act as heroes, than about the feelings of the people he loved.

There was something that this whole ordeal had shown him, Sam, Bucky, Sharon, Natasha, Clint, and you had all stuck by him at his absolute worst, trying to help him back to the light, and he couldn’t trust the public to stick with him at his absolute best.  His priorities were all wrong and he needed to put the feelings of the people he loved before the perceived judgment from people who didn’t even know him.

They were no longer going to keep the relationship a secret.  Not that they’d be unprofessional at work, or make a big statement about how they were in a seven-person polycule.  They just weren’t going to hide anymore.  They’d go out together.  If they were out of uniform and outside, they’d show affection to each other without worrying about being spotted.  They’d go on actual dates.  They’d take this relationship in the natural direction that it would go if it was just two people and if that meant they stayed happy in the tower in separate apartments, so be it, but if it meant a commitment ceremony and moving in together and having a family, then he’d be open to that too.

That was starting with you today.  He was taking you to a nice restaurant and splurging, because after spending months, struggling to get to know a version of Steve that was wrong, you deserved the chance of getting the best version of him, and to get spoiled at the same time.  It still felt weird after so long hiding things, but he wanted to do this for you.  He wanted to restart with his best foot forward.

He made his way down to your room and knocked on the door.  You opened it and he felt his breath catch.  You were breathtaking, obviously taking his instruction to dress up to heart.  Your makeup was flawless, and you wore a red A-line dress with a heart-shaped bodice and halter neck.  The halter strap was black lace and the lace traced around the neckline.  There was a matching sash around the waist, black ribbon laced up the back, and black mesh poking out from underneath the skirt.

“Wow,” Steve breathed as he took you in.  “You look beautiful.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” you said approaching him.  There was a slight hesitation before he leaned down and kissed you.  He had meant it to be just a peck on the lips, but your hand went to his lapel and you held him there, one foot kicking out behind you.

It felt good.  Right.  Yes - he had spent months and months connecting with you with a dark passenger inside him twisting his thoughts, but he’d still been there.  The real Steve had still gotten to know you.  He had kissed you many times - this was just the first time he’d done it since that day in the hot tub where there hadn’t been a voice trying to turn it into something dark.  This kiss was familiar but different and it felt more right.  It was real and it was him connecting with you.

You pulled back slowly, sucking softly on his plump bottom lip.  “Mmm… that was nice.”

He hummed in agreement as he looked at you.  You seemed a little dazed and you took a moment to shake it off.  When you did, you patted his chest and gestured for the door. “So where are we going?”

“Tony pulled some strings and got us reservations at the Polo Bar,” Steve said as he stepped outside.

You paused as you pulled the door closed behind them and you started laughing.  “Oh boy.”

Steve wasn’t sure what had just happened.  Was there something wrong with the polo bar?  “What’s the matter?” he asked.  “Bad choice?  Tony said it was the place to be.”

You wrapped your arm around his elbow and leaned into him again. “It’s fine. I’m sure the food will be really good…”

“But?”

“But,” you said.  “My first date with Sam was at a really expensive, fancy place too.  And we were both awkward and uncomfortable in it until we left and did something more relaxed.”  The two of you arrived at the elevator and got on board and you turned to look at him.  “See the thing is, he was trying to impress me instead of get to know me.  Honestly, I think he specifically didn’t want to get to know me, because he was dating you and he didn’t want to fall for someone else.”

Steve smiled affectionately.  “He did anyway.”

You laughed and dropped your gaze.  “He did.  Because we ditched it before we ordered and we just walked around.  We got to know each other and we had fun just being us.”  You touched his chest again and looked up into his eyes.  Steve smiled and put his hand on yours as he gazed down at you.  “You don’t seem like a fancy restaurant type, Steve.  If you are, then I’m happy to be corrected, but we’re going on this date because we need to get to know each other.  We should do something that will let me do that.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile.  You were totally right.  He’d already won you over.  Now you just needed to get to know each other.  He nodded.  “You’re right.  Scratch the Polo Bar.  What can we do instead?”

The doors opened into the lobby and the two of you stepped out. “That’s really up to you.  Who is Steve Rogers?  Is he going to the theater?  Does he like to dance?  Bowling?  Ping Pong?  Amusement Parks?  Boat rides?  Ball games?  Live music?  Dinner and a movie?  The great thing about New York is that there’s always something happening.”

He nodded in agreement and stopped you before you went out the front door.  “Let’s walk for a bit while I think.  But before we step outside, that’s going to be a little crazy out there.  How do you want to do this?”

You looked out where the usual mill of paparazzi and fans were hanging around and seemed to consider things for a moment before returning his gaze.  “Can I loop my arm with yours and stay close?”

He smiled and offered you his arm.  “Of course.”

The two of you walked outside.  There had been no official statement about any of the team dating yet, and so this was the first time anyone had been out publicly together.  The reaction to Steve stepping outside with you was instantaneous.  People started calling out Steve’s name and they swarmed in.  Security tried to hold them back and make a path for you to escape through, but you were planning on walking.  Steve quickly altered the plan.  He held you close to him and stepped out into the street, flagging down the first cab he could get, and the two of you climbed into the back.

“Where to?” the driver asked as he pulled back out into the street.

“Just drive around for a bit.  We haven’t quite decided that.  We just need to get away from that crowd,” Steve answered as he buckled up.

“You’ve got it, Cap,” the driver said.

Steve turned his attention back to you.  “A lot of what you suggested sounds good.  I love musicals and I haven’t seen one in so long.  But it’s not great for getting to know each other. I would love to go swing dancing, but you know what?  I think I’d like for that to be something we all do together.”

“Oh yeah,” you agreed.  “That would be amazing.”

“I have to admit, I’m really heavily drawn to a ballgame.  I loved going to the game when I was younger.  We always sat so far back.  But even if there was a game on tonight, it’ll be a cold day in hell that I support the Yankees.”

You snorted and pulled out your phone.  “You, Steven Rogers, are in luck.  The Mets are playing the Phillies.  The game starts in ten minutes, so we’ll be about twenty minutes late, but that’s okay.  What happens in the first twenty minutes anyway?”

“You’re really fine with that?” Steve asked. 

“Totally fine.  Sitting in the stands, talking, watching a game.  We can get a hotdog, a lobster roll, and some kind of spiked lemonade.  It’ll be fun.  And who knows, maybe you’ll have a new team.”

“That’d be nice,” he agreed.  “Because I can’t support the Dodgers now they’ve defected.”

You laughed and nudged him. “See, I’m already learning more about you.”  You leaned over and tapped on the glass. “Citi Field please.”

On the drive to Queens, you bought the tickets.  Steve tried to argue but you said the site was already open.  So Steve said he was paying for the food.  He even placed the orders for that via the app, so within forty minutes not only were the two of you in the stadium, but you were seated with your food and drinks.  Steve had gone a little overboard.  Well - he needed the extra food, he burned calories like a furnace burned paper.  Things had changed in the world of ballpark food since he was a kid, and he no longer had to worry that buying a hotdog would both eat up all his money and make him violently ill.  So when he saw the huge variety of things available on the app, he decided to let loose.  The box of food that Steve had carried to their seats was huge and contained a lobster roll, a chopped cheese sandwich, a fried chicken sandwich, two spiked lemonades - one strawberry and vodka and the other blackberry and tequila, and two classic Nathan’s hotdogs with sauerkraut.  He set the box on the ground between the two of you and you each grabbed something from the box.

“I might just take bites from everything if you’re cool with that,” you said.

“I’m very cool with that,” he agreed.  “A little sampler for you.”

You took a bite of the sandwich and leaned in against him, as you stared out at the game in front of you.  “Do you think we can talk about it?”

Steve had talked about it so many times now, he was honestly getting sick of it.  But he owed it to you.  He took a bite of his hot dog and sighed. “Sure.  Of course.  I guess there are things you need to know.”

“What was it like?” you asked.

“To begin with, it was almost like being drunk but without the thoughts being impaired.  It was like all my inhibitions were taken away.  When I slept with you, it was me that wanted to do it, but it was a kind of primal part of me that’s usually pretty quiet.  I was already attracted to you, but this me, the me without that thing in there needs more than that to let go.  I need to know you,” he explained.  “After a while, it was like another voice was there that I couldn’t seem to resist.  And the longer it went, the more it convinced me to do things that I would never do.  It was like it was pulling my ID to the surface.  Sometimes I was fine.  If things were calm and I was just hanging out with you all, I was just me. But if something annoyed me, it just took control and where I might normally just be annoyed, I would be furious.  I was taking it out on anything near me.  If it was sex, I was the most animalistic it could make me.  The things I did - I do when I’m asked, and it’s not that I don’t enjoy them, I enjoy making my lovers feel good.  But that wasn’t me.  That was it using my body.”

Your brow furrowed and you took his hand. “Oh god, Steve.  I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head.  “No… it’s… I don’t feel violated.  At least not sexually.”

“Are you sure?  Because it sounds like it did.  That we did,” you said, looking deep into his eyes.

“I promise,” he said.  “I never felt like my body was being used to sate someone else’s desire.  I felt like someone was just changing the way I enacted my desires.  I don’t know if that makes sense.  Like I said, I do those kinds of things and I want to sleep with all of you.  I enjoy being rough.  But it made me want them in a way that removed the whole reason I normally enjoy them.”

“Are you sure?” you asked.

“Yes, and if anything, I feel like I violated all of you.  Or it did… or…” he shook his head.  He couldn’t even figure out how to describe this voice in him that wasn’t him but changed him.  It hurt.  He hurt.  He felt guilty and angry about everything.  “I feel like you were all sleeping with a stranger.  And I feel worst for you because at least the others knew what they were seeing was my bad days amped up to a thousand.  They could see me and they were humoring me in the hopes that therapy could get under control.  They were trying to help get the man they loved back.  But you - you were falling for this monstrous version of me.”

He turned away from you, and you reached up, turning his cheek so he was making eye contact with you again. “I need you to listen to me, Steve.  I told everyone I loved them.  All of them.  But not you.  There’s been something holding me back.  I don’t know what that thing was making you do or not, but talking to you now I can guess. There were times I think I was turned on by that darkness.  And there were times that darkness scared the absolute shit out of me.  But the whole time I kept thinking; ‘When would I get to see that sweet man I spent time in the hot tub with.’  I think I haven’t told you I loved you, because I knew I wasn’t seeing you yet.”

Steve’s gaze softened, and he reached up, caressing your cheek. “You are so special.  I hope you know that.”

“I feel special,” you said.  “I have five people who all love me.  And I think one more who is on the way to.”

Steve smiled and nodded.  He leaned in just a little. “Oh, well on the way,” he said, and he kissed you.

// NEXT

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Learn to live with the consequences

PAIRING | Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 2.8K

SUMMARY | You come out of a mission with a lot more than you bargained for, but you couldn't be happier with how everything turned out in the end.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Swearing, blood/injuries, unplanned pregnancy.

A/N | Hi all, and welcome to my first Steve fic! He is one of my favorite characters, so I couldn't wait to see where my mind would take me for this one. This fic is not proofread, all mistakes are my own.

Likes and reblogs wil be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Steve Rogers Masterlist

During your last mission with the Avengers, everything went south real fast, and now you need to come to terms with the consequences. What appeared to be a simple mission at first, turned into your worst nightmare when you got injured so badly, you would never be able to return to your former job as an Avenger, at least not in the field, and that is something you just aren't ready to deal with - yet.

The mission started easy enough, and was nothing out of the ordinary, you fought aliens and bad guys all the times after all. But this was different, because the bad guys were stronger than any of you could have predicted. ''Guys, I need- ugh- some help here!'' you yell through the com in your ear, because you can't seem to fight off this particular person with inhumane strength.

''Try to hold on a little longer, I'm almost there!'' Steve said, running through every hallway, but they all seemed to look the same and he got the awful feeling he got lost. ''Please, hu-...'' is all you could get out before there were gunshots heard and everything went silent. ''Y/N? Y/N please answer?!'' Steve said, and everyone on the com went completely silent, waiting for an answer.

It was mere seconds after the gunshot went off, that Steve had found the room you were located, and he didn't know what he saw. There is blood everywhere, including on you, and it seemed to come from everywhere on your body. You were not even conscious anymore when Steve arrived, the pain of the gunshot wound was too much, together with the fact that you had been kicked and hit too many times to count.

''Y/N, FUCK!'' Steve said, ''Language!'' someone said over the com, but no one laughed, they all realized that it had to be bad when Steve was swearing. ''Is she okay? How is she?!'' Tony asked, ''Get her to the jet so she can be taken care of, now!'' he ordered. ''Oh my god, Y/N, please stay with me, please, I don't- I can't lose you...'' Steve said and he couldn't hold back the tears when he carefully lifted your body. Seeing you like this made his heart shatter into a million pieces.

The two of you weren't exactly best friends, but you could always laugh with each other and enjoyed each others company nevertheless - even after your hook-up a few months ago everything was still civil between the two of you. You joined the Avengers after Tony found about you and your powers, which were similar to those of Steve and Bucky, but you weren't injected with a super soldier serum, you were born that way. It took you a while to come to terms with it after Tony told you, but you figured it couldn't hurt to take him up on his offer. Oh, how wrong you were...

During your training sessions with the Avengers, everyone quickly figured out that you were stronger than you looked, and it would definitely work in your favor. You always had the most fun during the training sessions with Steve and Bucky, because they were actually able to keep up with you and your strength, which was nice and made you feel like less of an outsider, even though that feeling would always be there.

''Don't go easy on me now, Captain! You know I can handle it, right?'' you teased Steve during your training mission, but he would always hold back a little. ''I don't want to hurt you, Y/N, I sometimes don't even know my own strength.'' he said with a little blush on his face when he said this, he never confessed this to anyone, but in the moment he felt safe enough to tell you, and you appreciated that, and it was the start of something special between you both.

''I'm at the jet, please be careful everyone, we can't afford anyone else to get hurt!'' Steve said as he carefully put you down on the exam table so Bruce could look you over. ''There are some very obvious injuries like the knee and the cuts and bruises all over her, but I am gonna examine her further to see what other injuries she has. You should go out there and help them, I will take good care of her.'' Bruce said. ''No, I want to stay with her, I want to be here when she wakes up.'' Steve decided, and he grabbed a chair to sit on.

Bruce looked you over and discovered multiple serious injuries; shattered kneecap because of multiple bullets, broken shoulder and humerus and a spinal injury, the extent of which is not known yet. When Bruce said this, the guilt Steve felt only grew bigger. ''If only I was there sooner...'' he muttered, but Bruce assured him that he did all he could, she's safe now and he will take good of you. The rest of the mission went without a hitch, and as soon as everyone came back to the yet, everyone wanted to know how you were doing.

''It's not good, it's really bad actually...'' Steve started, ''Her kneecap is shattered, the gunshots we heard went to her knee so she couldn't follow the guy. She also has a broken shoulder and humerus, as well as a spinal injury.'' Steve said with a look of pure guilt on his face, not being able to look any of the Avengers in the face. ''Hey, look at me. This isn't your fault, you didn't do this to her, okay?'' Bucky assured him, but he only felt more guilty. ''I wasn't there to protect her, that should have been me, not Y/N! I should be laying there on that table, I never should have sent her in that room, she-'' but he couldn't finish his sentence.

''No, listen to me. You did not do anything wrong here, you did not know that was going to happen, you did all you could and so did she. They were stronger than any of us could have predicted, so you don't get to feel guilty about this. I know how heartbroken you are right now, we all feel that way. None of us wanted any of this to happen, but all we can do now is be there for her, through this hard time, because this is not going to be easy on her, believe me. But she needs you, Steve, she needs you to help her through this but she will not be able to do this alone.'' Bucky said, not taking no for an answer from him.

''We're not saying what you're feeling isn't valid, because it is, Steve. But she really needs all of us to be strong, because she might not be able to get out there after this, you and I both know what.'' Natasha followed up. And Steve knew she was completely right, but it didn't make him feel any better. All he wanted to do was trade places with you, take every last bit of suffering away if he could. But he can't, and that hurts the most. To see one of the people he cares for so deeply, be so hurt, it hurts him too.

As soon as the jet landed back in the compound, you were rushed to the medbay, where you could be checked over once more and all your injuries could be properly taken care of. During the test and checks, the doctors found out something else entirely, which would be a surprise to everyone; you were pregnant, and you weren't aware of it - yet. The spinal injury you had wasn't life threatening, neither were the other injuries, they would heal all on their own. You had to wear a sling for a long time to heal your shoulder and humerus, but your knee was to far gone to be saved too.

You had no family, having left them behind years ago before you moved to New York with Tony, so the decision on what to do with your leg would be on you, but you weren't able to make it in your current state. They had to wake you up, but it wouldn't be pleasant, so they asked Steve to stay by your side so there would be at least one familiar face. ''She should wake up soon, please let us know when that happens, so we can come in an discuss the treatment plan with her.'' the doctor told Steve, to which he agreed.

After a few hours you seemed to stir awake a little bit, having some pain but nothing compared to when your knee got shot, before you blacked out. ''Hi Cap...'' you croaked out, and Steve got pulled from his book, even though the couldn't concentrate on it for even a second. ''Y/N, hi. How are you feeling?'' he asked, already knowing the answer. ''Like I got shot and thrown against a wall.'' you said soft and tried to laugh but it hurt too much so it didn't really come out like one. ''I'll go get the doctor, they wanted to explain something to you about your treatment.'' Steve said and he walked away, but not before giving you a small kiss on your forehead.

''Y/N, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?'' the doctor asked when he walked in. ''I've been better.'' you say a little more confident now, but not anywhere near your usual self, far from it. ''That is understandable given your situation. There are actually two things I have to discuss with you, would you like to do it in private, or do you want someone here?'' ''I'd like for Steve to be here please, anything you have to say you can say in front of him.'' you said with a small smile towards Steve.

''Okay. Well, first off, I have to let you know that when we did some additional tests when you were back from your mission, we found out that you are about 10 weeks pregnant now. The baby is completely fine, it is a miracle they survived, but they're really strong so that is a good thing.'' Your brain couldn't comprehend anything past 'pregnant', because you didn't know how that could happen. Well, you know how, but it shouldn't have happened, the last time you had sex you had used protection... right? ''I- I- It can't be true, I can't be pregnant!'' you blurt out, but it starts to make sense.

You have been eating more than usual, gained some weight here and there, but shrugged it off thinking it must be from training. You were frantically looking for anything to hold in order to ground yourself when you found Steves arm, and you squeezed pretty hard. He didn't mind, seeing he was also pretty much in shock himself, especially after doing the math himself and the realization dawned on him. ''It's mine...'' he whispered barely audible, and he looked at you with a combination of worry, confusion and most of all, love. You were carrying his baby, even though he didn't even know he could have them. Turns out, he could.

''I understand that this is a huge bomb to drop on your lives, but I still need to discuss something else, which is very time sensitive. You had multiple gunshot wounds to you kneecap, but based on what we could see there was more damage than we could see, so we would need to amputate part of your leg, in order to save you. If we don't, it can be life threatening to both you and your baby.'' the doctor continued, and without a second though, you said ''Do it. Take it, everything to save my baby.'' and you looked at Steve.

They took you away to the operating room and Steve went back to see everyone in the waiting room. ''How is she?'' everyone asked at the same time. ''Uh, good new and bad news...'' Steve started, not quite sure where to begin. ''Bad news is that her knee was so damaged that they couldn't save it, so they're gonna have to do an above the knee amputation, so she probably won't be going on any missions any time soon...'' he said and looked at the floor. ''And the good news?'' Bucky asked.

Steves cheeks turned a dark red which spread down to his neck and chest when he said ''She's 10 weeks pregnant, and the baby is mine. We aren't together or anything, it was just a one time thing, we just remained friends afterwards. The baby is fine and healthy, but I'm not sure what to do now...'' he confessed, and the ceiling suddenly looked very interesting. As long as he could look anywhere but at his team mates, he was holding it together. ''Wow... You're gonna be a dad, I'm so happy for you man!'' Bucky said and he pulled Steve into a big hug. When he did that, Steve couldn't hold it in any longer and he started sobbing on his best friends shoulder, all the emotions of the past few hours coming out all at once.

''It's okay. We're all here for you, and Y/N is going to be okay, she will fight even harder now, both for her as for your little one.'' Bucky said and that seemed to calm Steve down a little before letting him go. ''You're going to be a great dad, there is not a single doubt in my mind about that. But when she's able to, you should really talk to Y/N about what this means for the two of you, because things will definitely change forever between the two of you.'' and all Steve could do was nod, not trusting his voice or anything coming out of his mouth right now.

Everyone took turns congratulating Steve, and they all sat there together waiting for Y/N to come back from the operating room. After a few gruesome hours, she was rolled back into her room with half a leg less, but with another life still growing inside her. Steve walked into the room and when the doctor walked out of the room, he just had to say what was on his mind. ''Hi sweetheart, I still can't believe were going to be parents, I can't wait to meet our little one, I hope they look just like you. I love you so much, and I wish I had said something sooner. I can't wait to start a life with you, my love.'' he said, and a few silent tears fell down his face.

The next few months were challenging, but you battled through it like a champ, getting used to your prosthetic leg quicker than you though would be possible. Shuri had you choose the design, and you went for a similar design you Buckys arm, except that yours was white with gold, your favorite color combination. Around 20 weeks you and Steve found out the gender of your baby, and discovered you would be having a baby boy, and Steve was absolutely ecstatic about it, although he would have been equally happy if he had gotten a little princess.

You and Steve decided on his name as soon as you found out you would have a boy, but decided to keep it a secret for a little while longer, wanting to reveal it when he was born. On February 14th it was finally time for the little one to come out, and you couldn't wait any longer to hold him in your arms. After a long delivery he was finally here, your precious little boy, and both you and Steve were looking at him with pure adoration and the utmost love, while you both had silent tears of you on your cheeks. ''He's absolutely perfect. Do you think we should introduce him to his aunts and uncles?'' you asked and Steve got everyone in the room.

''I have had a rough year, but I have to say, I would not change it for the world. If I didn't spent that night with Steve, I wouldn't have the most precious human in my arms right now, so I am eternally grateful for my amazing husband. He helped me learn to live with the consequences of my - and our - actions, and I would do it all over again if I could.'' you said, before giving Steve a soft, loving kiss on his lips. ''So, what is his name?!'' Bucky asked impatient, and he really wanted to hold his little nephew, who he already adored so much. ''Are you sure you're ready to know? Because I don't want you to drop him when you hear his name!'' you said with a laugh as you handed him to Bucky.

''His name is James Anthony Rogers.'' both you and Steve said at the same time, and you saw both Tony and Bucky fighting back tears of joy when they heard you decided to name them after the most important people in your lives. ''It's perfect.'' Bucky said and he placed a small, soft kiss on the forehead of his godson.

[onceuponastory]

something sweet - bucky barnes x reader. chapter two: something new

“Every time we fall to pieces, we build something new out of the hurt” - Back to Earth by Steve Aoki featuring Fall Out Boy

Series Masterlist

Chapter Plot: Bucky introduces Y/N to Sam and Steve, and soon realises he has to tell her something important. Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader (soon) Warnings: Mentions of death, implied previous abusive relationship, reader doubting herself, mentions of Bucky’s past as TWS and anxiety. As always, if I miss any triggers, let me know. Notes: Thank you again to @staticscreenwriting / @astartothemoon​ for my divider, and her help with this chapter! Not beta’d, so any mistakes are my own.

The next morning, Y/N lays in bed, thinking over everything that’s happened in her life until now. Only a few months ago, the idea of being here, an actual business owner was unbelievable, some kind of distant fantasy. Things like this, your life changing forever in such a brief space of time usually only happens in the movies, never to ordinary people like her. But yet, here she is, living proof that miracles do happen. Although honestly, sometimes Y/N is still waiting to wake up, to open her eyes one morning and be back home, her new life nothing more than a dream. 

Yet, Y/N would be lying if she said that part of her didn’t wish for that, or that she did just sell the shop. Of course, she wants nothing more than to continue her aunt’s dream and build her legacy… she just doesn’t know if she can do it. No matter how much she tries, she can’t escape the little voice of doubt in her head, the one that has a name, and the pit in her stomach that always forms whenever the voice returns. By this point, she’s convinced it’s going to stick with her forever. 

“I wish you were still here.” She mumbles sadly, staring at the picture of her and her aunt together, proudly displayed on her bedside table. Y/N registers a tear rolling down her cheek, but she doesn’t wipe it away… or the ones that follow it. “You always knew what to do, and had the right words to say. I just wish I listened.”

Later on, emerging from under the covers after spending most of the morning crying, Y/N decides to bake something in an attempt to clear her head and feel a little better. Throughout her life, the good and the bad, baking has always brought Y/N a sense of peace and happiness, an escape from everything going on in her life. It was hers and her aunt's favourite activity, something for them both to share. Her aunt always used to tell her that whenever she was upset, baking was a good remedy. She said it was because it helped you use all of your pain to make something new, and something good. 

Now that her aunt’s gone, Y/N needs that advice more than ever. 

As Y/N stirs the cookie mixture in the bowl, humming a tune to herself as she does, her thoughts go back to Bucky. It’s nice to have someone like him so close by that she can depend on. She just hopes that she doesn’t lose him too, like what seems to happen with a lot of people in her life. Either that or they turn out to be assholes. But Bucky doesn’t seem like that. He’s been nothing but kind and welcoming to her. Yet, they usually start out kind before revealing their true colours. And Y/N knows that better than anyone. “No. Bucky wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t. He can’t.” Y/N buries that thought as deep as it will go, refusing to let it consume her. As she does, another thought enters her mind. A happier, calmer one.

Maybe she should give the cookies to Bucky. He deserves something to say thanks after all the help he’s given her so far, and for at least being her only friend in New York. “God, that sounds so pathetic. Besides, is he even really a friend, or just a neighbour?” …Or maybe he could just be a taste tester.

Once the cookies are done, Y/N wipes at her eyes, ensuring there’s no evidence of her crying only hours ago. There’s no way she’s going to open that can of worms with Bucky yet, let alone so early in the morning. She even takes a moment to check her hair and puts on a little lip gloss, just so she looks semi-presentable, instead of looking like she’s just spent a few hours crying in her bed. Then, Y/N heads along the hallway to Bucky’s apartment, knocking on his door. When he opens the door, Bucky leans against the doorframe, smiling at her. He’s wearing a black shirt, one that is clearly a few sizes too small, given how tightly it clings to his chest. His arm muscles bulge out, the veins prominently displayed. Y/N’s breath hitches in her throat. God, he’s gorgeous. As her eyes go lower, tracing down Bucky’s form, all Bucky can think is just how glad he is that he actually wore a shirt to bed last night. God knows what would’ve happened to either of them if Bucky appeared shirtless.

“Morning.” Bucky smiles. Given how husky his voice is, he’s only just woken up. And it almost sends Y/N’s heart into overdrive. But then she notices something.

“Your arm!” She gasps. Immediately, Bucky’s stomach drops. In his rush to answer the door, he didn’t think to cover it like he usually does, meaning that this is the first time Y/N has seen the full arm. 

“Well, it’s-” Bucky stammers, trying to summarise the last seventy years of his life at 10am on a Tuesday morning. Thankfully, before he can even begin to do so, Y/N says:

“It’s beautiful!”

“Oh… thank you.” Bucky smiles, flushing slightly pink. After so long hating himself and his arm, and seeing all the blood that has stained it over the years, Bucky has never once heard his arm referred to as beautiful. Truthfully, he had never realised that anyone could see anything about him as beautiful. He registers a fluttering sensation in his stomach, one that makes him feel giddy. Even though he still doesn’t believe Y/N’s words… he still appreciates them more than she could ever know. “So, what can I do for you?”

“I wanted to practise my baking, so I made some chocolate chip cookies, and thought I’d give you some.” Y/N passes the plate over. “Consider it an extra thanks for last night.” Before Bucky can protest, Y/N cuts in. “I know what you’re gonna say, so you can also consider them as a taste test instead. You’re not getting out of this that easily, Bucky.”

Bucky chuckles, picking up a cookie. In all honesty, despite how wary he is about getting closer to Y/N because of his past, he actually doesn’t want to get out of anything involving Y/N. If he could, he’d spend time with her for as long as he can. As soon as he bites into it, Y/N watches anxiously, studying every inch of his facial expression. When what feels like forever goes by without so much as a single word from Bucky, Y/N’s stomach twists anxiously. “He hates it. This was a mistake. I’m definitely not cut out for this.”

To her surprise, though, Bucky’s eyes soon widen. “Oh my god, Y/N.” He gasps, his mouth still full. “This is incredible!”

“Really?” 

“Yes! They’re the perfect mix of soft and gooey… they’re perfect. If the rest of your baking is like this….” He trails off, smiling contently, his words making Y/N grin. “Actually, I know you said they’re just for me, but can I take some of these to my friends? I think they’d love them too.”

“Your friends?” She repeats, the anxious feeling from before suddenly coming back with a vengeance. Although she doesn’t know much about Bucky, he’s safe, he’s comfortable. She doesn’t know anything about his friends. What if they hate her. The last thing she wants is to be all alone again, just like before. Maybe she's always destined to be alone. She feels herself starting to panic, her heart and mind beginning to race. “Shut up. You’re being fucking ridiculous. That’s not going to happen. Stop letting him get to you again.”

“Y/N? Y/N are you okay? You kinda dozed off there.” Bucky’s voice cuts through her mind and all its rambling, bringing her back down to earth. He leans forward, concern all over his face. He studies her, looking for any hint that something’s wrong. Heat rises throughout Y/N’s body, settling on her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore how much her heart is pounding, she nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Bucky doesn’t need to know that she’s lying through her teeth. If he did, then he really would run a mile. “Of course you can give some to your friends. Let me know what they think.” 

Bucky can tell almost immediately that something’s wrong, and that there’s something Y/N’s hiding. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can-”

“I better let you get dressed. I have more things to bake, anyway.” Y/N cuts him off. Before Bucky can say anything else, she turns on her heel and walks back to her apartment. Bucky watches her go, wanting nothing more than to run after her and check if she really is okay, and what he can do to help… just like he said he would. And yet, he stays rooted where he is, simply watching as she disappears behind her door. Because despite how much he wants to do so, Bucky knows he can’t just come charging in after her and demand to know what’s wrong, especially not in the early stages of their friendship. He’ll probably terrify her and in the process stop her from ever wanting to speak to him again, which is the last thing he wants. He needs to find the best, calm way to make sure that she’s okay and knows that he’s there for her.

And that thought occupies Bucky’s mind as he gets ready, and all the way to the Avengers tower, and to the briefing room.

“Hey, Barnes brought cookies!”

“I didn’t know you baked, Buck.” Sam gasps, eyeing the plate in Bucky’s hand.

“Oh, they’re not mine. My new neighbour Y/N made them and said I can share them with you guys.”

“Oh? A new neighbour, hm?” Steve grins. 

“Shove off. She’s taking over her aunt’s coffee shop, and she wants us to taste test her cookies. But if you don’t want them….” Bucky trails off, grabbing another cookie from the pile. Soon, the cookies have been distributed around the room, and it fills with happy comments and orders for Bucky to tell Y/N to bake more treats for them. Yet, despite the intense briefing, he still can’t keep his mind off Y/N.

“Okay, spill. What’s up with you?” Sam asks, pulling him to one side with Steve after the briefing. When Bucky insists nothing is wrong, the pair don’t believe him. “Come on, you’ve been off in a dream world for most of the briefing. Steve almost had to elbow you to answer one of Tony’s questions. Something’s up with you Buck. Are you okay?” 

Although Bucky doesn’t even know everything that’s going on, the fact that this has been on his mind all day causes it to spill out before he can even think about it.

“It’s about Y/N.” Ignoring the smirking from his two best friends, Bucky continues. “I think something’s wrong with her. I don’t know for sure, but we were talking, and out of nowhere, she got this awful look on her face, like something spooked her, and I got really worried about her. I wanted to ask what was going on, but she left before I could. And now-”

“You don’t know how to ask?” Steve finishes, and Bucky nods. Honestly, despite how much his friends annoy him, he appreciates their help, and feels better after getting his feelings out in the open.

“Honestly, Bucky, it’s really admirable how much you care about her, despite how little you’ve known her for. But if something is wrong, she’s probably not ready to tell you right away, especially since you’ve just met. I mean, have you even told her about being an Avenger and your past?” Bucky shakes his head. Of course, the idea has crossed his mind a few times, but he has no idea how or where to even start, or if he even should. Any sane person would run a mile in the opposite direction if you told them you used to be a brainwashed assassin, pardoned or not. “Exactly.” Sam nods. “You two don’t have to tell each other everything yet if you’re not ready. I suggest you just tell her you’re there for her, and wait until she’s ready to tell you.”

“If she ever will be.” Steve points out, and Sam nods. Noticing the nervous expression still on Bucky’s face, Steve sighs. “Look, we know how much you want to help, but there’s nothing you can do right now, and you can’t force her to do anything. You’ll be more of a hero by waiting until she’s ready.” With a sigh of his own, Bucky nods. Despite how much he wants to help Y/N, he knows that they’re both right.

All he can do now is just hope that Y/N’s okay.

A few nights later, Bucky stands outside his apartment, listening to Sam and Steve bickering about where the trio is going for dinner. As their argument fades into static, Bucky huffs. God. Although he enjoys spending time with his two best friends (even though he’d rather die than tell them that) he would also much rather be anywhere but here at this moment.

But suddenly, a voice cuts through the air, one familiar and warm. And to be honest, at that moment, it sounds like an angel sent from above.

“Hey Bucky.” Y/N smiles, walking past the group with another armful of books in her hands.

“Hey Y/N. More reading material?”

“As always.” She chuckles. “It never stops.” Honestly, Bucky doesn’t even remember that Steve and Sam are beside him until the former jokingly jabs him in the ribs.

“Are you going to stop grinning like an idiot and introduce us, or…?” He trails off, grinning. Bucky registers his cheeks flashing slightly pink, and he has to suppress a groan, already anticipating how much Steve and Sam will tease him for this.

“Oh, right. Y/N, these are my friends, Steve and Sam.” He introduces, and Y/N shakes both of their hands. 

“So, this is the famous Y/N who made those incredible cookies.” Sam smiles. “Bucky was right, you’re very talented.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” Y/N smiles, still slightly surprised by the compliment. “I’ll be sure to bake some more for Bucky to give you, then.”

“If he doesn’t eat them all first, that is.” Steve quips, and the group laughs.

“I did not!” Bucky protests. “Okay, I may have had one or two extra.” As the laughter fades out, an idea pops into Bucky’s head. “Hey Y/N, do you have any plans tonight?” 

“Not really, just reading and trying to pick paint swatches and furniture for the coffee shop. It’s going to be a fun night.” She chuckles.

“Well, the three of us are going out for some dinner, and you’re more than welcome to join us. I’m sure these two won’t mind.” The words leave Bucky’s mouth without another thought. Of course, he knows that Steve and Sam are nice and welcoming enough to not care about another guest at the table… but he hopes that she’ll get along with them, because it’s important that she feels comfortable around them both, and vice versa. Most of all, though, Bucky also knows that the fact he was so keen to invite her will surely lead to more jokes and teasing at his expense. 

“No, I don’t want to intrude on you guys or your night. You have fun.” She reassures them, waving them off. Despite how nice it would be to spend time with Bucky and his friends, deep down, Y/N’s terrified of making a fool of herself, of having everyone see her as a loser and leaving her. Especially Bucky. Yet, she’s already used to being alone, so she might as well start now.

“Seriously, it’s okay.” He reassures, smiling the whole time. That damn smile of his that makes something deep in her stomach flutter and her heart beat just that little faster. 

“No. Fuck being afraid. You said you wanted to start fresh and not let him control your life anymore, so do it.” She tells herself. “Okay, that sounds great.” Bucky grins, his smile even wider than before. “Can you give me five minutes to dump these?” The trio nod, and Y/N hurries back to her apartment.

Once inside, she dashes around from room to room, touching up her makeup and spraying some extra spritzes of perfume. Glancing in the mirror, Y/N wonders if she should change her outfit or even redo her entire makeup look. “Stop trying so hard. It’s going to look obvious.” Burying that voice once more, Y/N grabs her bag and goes back out. 

“You look great.” Bucky smiles.

“She’s wearing the same outfit, Buck.” Steve points out, and Bucky’s face goes red. Y/N chuckles, but can’t stop herself from smiling. 

“Well, thank you Bucky. You all look great, too.” As the group leaves Y/N and Bucky’s building, Y/N takes a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

“So, I took these two fishing… I figured, since we’re in New Orleans, they should try, right?” Sam explains, and Y/N nods.

“Absolutely not. We are not telling this story.” Bucky shakes his head, and Steve nods, agreeing with him.

“Oh, no. Sam’s already started telling me, and I want to know what happens!” 

“Thank you, Y/N! I like her already.” Sam grins. “It was all going well until someone slipped and fell off the pier.”

“It was slippery!” Steve exclaims, making Y/N giggle. 

“So he grabbed Bucky to steady himself, and well….” 

“That’s why we don’t go fishing anymore.” Bucky finishes. Laughter fills the air, and soon Y/N is laughing with them, already feeling herself calming down. Honestly, she’s glad she came out tonight despite her initial reservations. Steve and Sam are so friendly and funny, and she feels that she can let her guard down more around them. “We all set for another round?” Bucky suggests, and the group nods.

“Let me get this one Bucky, as a thanks for inviting me.” Y/N offers.

“Nope. Put your money away, I’ve got it.” Bucky orders, disappearing to the bar before she can protest any more. “So, how long have you two known Bucky for?” She asks, changing the subject, hoping to ward off any impending awkwardness now Bucky is gone. Comfortable or not, she’s still practically a stranger to Sam and Steve.

“Well, I’ve known him for years… it feels like hundreds by this point.” Steve chuckles, and Sam smirks. It strikes Y/N as an inside joke amongst the trio, something she’s not yet privy to. Maybe one day, she’ll find out. It’d be nice to spend more time with Bucky and his friends, and maybe have inside jokes of their own. To have more connecting her to New York than her new coffee shop.

“And I’ve known him for about ten years. Actually, that reminds me of the first time we met-”

“Thank you.” Bucky slides over the money for the drinks. When he turns around to take them back to the table, he sees Y/N and the guys, smiling and laughing. And once again, Bucky Barnes can’t help but smile. He’s so glad that Y/N’s getting on so well with Steve and Sam, arguably the two most important people in his life now. Maybe, Y/N will end up being just as important, and as present in his life as they are.

Honestly, Bucky loves that thought.

“What are you smiling at?” Sam asks when he gets back to the table.

“Oh, nothing.” Bucky muses. “Nothing at all.”

“Thank you for inviting me tonight, Bucky. I had a lot of fun.” Y/N smiles when they’re back home. After a while of being with Bucky and his friends, her original awkwardness and apprehension faded away. She still has a long way to go before she finally feels like she belongs here… but this is a pretty big step. 

“You’re welcome. I just hope Sam and Steve didn’t tell you too many embarrassing stories about me. Gotta maintain my cool image.” Y/N chuckles. Honestly, she doesn’t think anything could change her opinion of Bucky, or make him seem like anything other than the kind, welcoming guy she knows him as.

“Not at all. Actually, it’s great how you three have known each other for so long. Steve actually said it felt like hundreds of years.” And with that, Bucky’s stomach drops. Little does Y/N know it is actually closer to 100 years than she thinks. Not that he remembers much of it, though. Constantly being brainwashed will do that to you. Then, a reminder dawns, one that makes his stomach begin to churn.

Y/N doesn’t know about The Avengers. And if he tells her about that… then he has to tell her about The Winter Soldier too. Of course, telling his new cute neighbour who only just got round to trusting him about how he was responsible for so much death and carnage is not something Bucky wants to do… but he knows he has to. Besides, it’ll no doubt come up soon enough, and Bucky would rather Y/N hear it from him, rather than the news or from the next supervillain The Avengers have to stop.

‘Well, I think I’m gonna go to bed. I’ll see you around, Bucky.”

“No, wait.” He calls, stopping her. Bucky takes a nervous, shaky breath, feeling his heartbeat increasing rapidly. 

“Yeah?”

“I have something I need to tell you.”

Again, I’m not going to have a separate taglist for this story because whenever I’ve tried to make one in the past, it never seems to tag people. So please follow @onceuponastory-library​ and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any of the chapters!