#and they all live happily ever after in steve's huge house

[matchingbatbites]

nobody else but you

This is incredibly niche and self indulgent, but sometimes that's just what you have to write for yourself. This is a Steddie + Buckingham rewrite of the final scene from Some Like It Hot, because while this movie is very near and dear to me, the last line gives me the ick! So we're fixing that. Much love to Read and Bee for looking this over and giving me some excellent feedback <3

Eddie and Robin scramble across the beach, both still wearing the performance dresses and Eddie doing his best to keep the wig on his head as they make their way to the pier. 

Steve is waiting for them and he looks over as they approach, his bright smile upon seeing them creating a flurry of butterflies in Eddie’s stomach. He drags Robin over, down the steps and across the planking to where the other man is waiting.

“Steve!" he calls, his voice slipping into a higher tone to keep up his illusion of femininity. "This is my good friend, Robin! She’s going to be a bridesmaid.”

To his credit, Steve just smiles at Robin and barely gives her a “Pleased to meet you,” before Eddie is grabbing him and dragging him down to the speedboat. Steve just grins and throws a look over his shoulder at Robin. “She’s so eager!”

They’re just climbing into the boat when a noise pulls their attention. The trio turn to see Chrissy biking down the stairs, honking the attached horn as she gets closer. Eddie and Steve settle into the front seat as Chrissy hops off the bike, leaving it where it lay as she rushes over.

“Wait! Wait for Chrissy!”

Steve looks at Eddie as he starts the boat, says “Another bridesmaid?”

“Flower girl!” Eddie replies, and Robin stands as Chrissy gets closer, taking one of her hands to help her balance as she climbs into the back seat. 

“Chrissy! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I told you: I'm not very bright.”

How sweet. Eddie reaches over and smacks Steve’s shoulder with a “Let’s go!” and starts to relax as they pull away from the pier.

“You don’t want me, Chrissy,” Robin says as she undoes the top of dress, revealing the masculine clothes she hadn’t had time to change out of, clothes that Chrissy surely recognizes from her supposedly male suitor. “I’m a liar and a phony, a trumpet player, one of those no-goodniks you’ve been running away from!”

“I know,” Chrissy replies, the smile never leaving her face. “Every time!”

“Chrissy, do yourself a favor: go back where the millionaires are, the sweet end of the lollipop. Not the cole slaw in the face and the old socks and the squeezed-out tube of toothpaste-”

The singer just giggles as she winds her arms around Robin’s neck, pulling her closer. “That's right, pour it on. Talk me out of it.”

Robin melts as Chrissy kisses her, can’t help but to wrap her arms around the smaller girl and pull her close. Eddie turns back to the front, knowing that isn’t something he should be seeing, that gentle intimacy between the two girls. He catches Steve’s eye and the man smiles at him.

“I called Mother. She was so happy she cried. She wants you to have her wedding gown, it's white lace.”

Oh this is- This is not going to be fun. Eddie takes a breath and steels himself for the conversation ahead. “Steve, I can’t get married in your mother’s dress. She and I- We’re not built the same way.”

Steve shrugs. “We can have it altered.”

Fuck.

“Oh, no you don't! Look, Steve, I'm going to level with you. We can't get married at all.”

The other man frowns at that, and pulls his eyes away from the water to look at Eddie. “Why not?”

“Well, to begin with, I'm not a natural blonde,” Eddie says as he brushes at the bangs of his wig.

Steve just huffs a laugh and shakes his head. “It doesn't matter.”

“I smoke! I smoke all the time.”

“I don't care.”

“I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a trumpet player.”

“I forgive you.”

What the fuck! Eddie feels desperate now, and he lets his eyes mist up as he looks into the middle distance. “I can never have children.”

Steve, who had clearly mentioned something about six children while they’d been dancing until sunrise, just smiles. “We can adopt some.”

Well shit. Eddie is out of cards to play, and knows the only thing he has left is the ace up his sleeve. “But you don't understand! Oh-” He reaches up and tears off the blonde wig, revealing his short, curly brown hair, and lowers his voice to its natural tone as he says “I’m a man.”

He certainly isn’t expecting Steve to smile, to give him a gentle, sincere "Okay."

What? He- Huh?

“Okay? That's it? Just okay?”

“Yeah? We spent hours dancing together the other night, you think I wouldn’t notice that something was different about you?”

Oh. “But- But what if I never said anything? You were just going to accept me as a girl with a guy’s body or something?”

Steve looks at him, all soft and gooey as he reaches over to take Eddie’s hand. “Babydoll, I fell in love with your personality. You’re a fucking firecracker, and anything else is just the cherry on the sundae. If you say you’re a girl, then you’re a girl, and I was a hundred percent ready to accept that. You being a man doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

Oh god, Steve really is the sweetest guy, isn't he? Eddie thinks about the night they spent together, the hours of dancing and talking and the way they seem to fit together like two perfect little puzzle pieces. He thinks about Steve, and makes a decision. 

“I mean, I’m definitely a man. But I- I don’t mind wearing dresses, and I wouldn’t mind posing as your wife, in public. Especially if it would get me Mother’s approval.”

The beaming smile Steve gives him is enough to calm any anxiety he has about the future, and he laces their fingers together. “You don't have to do that. I’m sure she would love you regardless, honey.”

“Eddie. My name is Eddie.”

Steve’s smile doesn’t fade as he looks over again with a soft “Eddie,” and Eddie really doesn’t know how it’s possible to fall for someone this hard this fast, but he wouldn’t trade it for a single fucking thing.

[imtryingbuck]

Affair Part 2

~ gif not mine credit goes to owner ~

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader, Fem!Reader x ??

Summary: The aftermath of reader telling Bucky she’s divorcing him

Word count: 3157

Warnings: Bucky is a big huge gigantic humongous dumdum. Swearing, if there’s more let me know.

Translation: милая девушка - beautiful girl. ангел - angel.

Masterlist

Part 1

“I filed for divorce” kept playing on his mind for the rest of the night long after she had gone to bed. His phone kept going off nonstop, the messages and missed calls all from Sharon.

He stayed at the home he shared with his wife and children for four hours waiting, hoping his beautiful wife who he betrayed would come back down the stairs and tell him she forgave him.

It never happened.

He left, getting into the car his wife brought him, the same car he fucked his mistress in and went straight to Sharon’s. Knocking on the door he only had to wait for a few minutes before the wooden door came swinging open.

“You finally showed, I’ve been waiting for ages! We need to talk” Sharon stands there, red eyed as if she had been crying.

“She’s divorcing me” Walking past her and looking around the room he’d been in so many time before - double date nights, just seeing his best friend, cheating on his wife with his best friend’s wife.

“He’s divorcing me too” Her voice was happier than his. “Now we can be together, I had to cry in front of Steve pretending I cared. Then you wouldn’t pick up your phone I wa-”

“I don’t want you Sharon. I want Y/n. I want my children and my best friend back. Me and you biggest mistake I have ever made!” Cutting her off.

“You’re joking right? We are so perfect together not me and Steve and especially not you and that bitch!”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare call my wife a bitch” he seethes.

“Don’t act like you care now Bucky where was that caring nature of yours when you was sleeping with me for 8 months? And news flash she’s divorcing you she’s not going to get back with you!”

Having her remind him of the stone cold truth hit him in the gut. Sharon was right, his wife was divorcing him. She was never going to get back together with him.

“I don’t care if she’s divorcing me just don’t call her a bitch.”

“Okay, how about we don’t talk about them two okay? Here’s what I was thinking, I’m getting the house in the divorce so I’ll just sell it and me and you can get an apartment together? We can buy all new furniture and it can be a fresh start for us and oh I’ve already found -“.

As Sharon stands there rambling on he had the urge to ring his wife and tell her she was wrong. Sharon did want him now that they were divorcing, she’s even planned to sell her house so they can get an apartment together. Y/n was wrong about that Sharon and himself couldn’t run off into the sunset and live happily ever after because he stood there with his mistress in front of him and having to hear her rambling off about their new future together.

His wife who he loves more than anything in this world was wrong.

Because it wasn’t Sharon that didn’t want him now their affair was known to their spouses. It was him. He was the one that didn’t want her, he didn’t want the apartment with Sharon, he didn’t want a fresh start with his best friends soon to be ex-wife. No, he wanted his wife back. He wanted a fresh start with Y/n so he can get a second chance of being better. He wanted the love of his life back, and he wanted Steve back - he knew himself that Steve wouldn’t forgive him for his part of her affair.

“-Bucky? Bucky are you even listening to me?” Sharon’s voice cut his inner monologue off.

“Huh? Oh yeah sorry”

“You wasn’t listening was you? It’s okay silly bum I was just talking about an apartment I found the other day, oh Buck it’s beautiful and I honestly think it would be perfect for us” Her voice was hopeful and excited. He found himself comparing her voice to the one belonging to his wife when she found the house that became their home.

“Sharon this isn’t going to work”

“Of course it will, I love you and you love me”

“No Sharon I don’t. I don’t love you, I will always love Y/n”

“No! No you don’t James! You love me!” Sharon screamed at him.

Sighing “Listen Sharon I don’t love you, I never had. I have never been attracted to you-“

“Never been attracted to me? You’re joking right?”

“No”

“You prick!”

“We wouldn’t work anyway Sharon. You cheated on Steve with me and I cheated on Y/n with you. We would always accuse each other, we wouldn’t be happy I can promise you that”

“N-no you wouldn’t cheat on me though!”

“I cheated on my WIFE! You really think I wouldn’t do it to you? I love her for Christ sake, she’s the only person I have ever been attracted to! When I was fucking you I was thinking of her! C’mon Sharon don’t be so stupid, it doesn’t suit you” He’s only now regretting coming over here, at the time he didn’t know where else he could go.

“Yo-you ruined my marriage James” he watched her struggle to breathe for a moment “you ruined my marriage!”

“No I didn’t, you did. You are the one that made a vow to Steve not me. Like how I ruined my marriage with Y/n not you.”

“You-we made love James”

“We fucked. We didn’t make love Sharon” rolling his eyes at her petty attempt at making him change his mind.

“I-don’t-you don’t want me now? But you did earlier? You fucked me in your car, went home and get confronted by your wife, then you come here and tell me you don’t want me anymore? Is that what you’re trying to tell me right now?” Her anger and tears were on full display.

“I’m sorry. I am. It’s just I love Y/n more than anything. I’m going to go; I’ll see you around I guess” he was just about to touch the door handle when her voice stopped him.

“Fuck me one last time. Please James”.

And ever the fool, he did.

~~~

The months after she told him she had filed for divorce she flourished, no more crying herself to sleep, no more fake smiles and no more faking confidence. She was the happiest she had been since she caught her husband fucking a woman that was most definitely not her. Her and Steve’s friendship grew too, they became closer than ever. They were each other’s shoulder to cry on, they supported one another when they needed it.

But then came their divorce to being finalised, and that’s where Y/n struggled.

Nat had forced convinced her to go and see a therapist, Dr Grey was a lovely woman who didn’t care about telling her to stop putting herself down, happily called her stupid when she blamed herself for the affair. Dr Grey - Linda as she told Y/n to call her - became a good friend, a friend she needed and wanted.

In the aftermath of her divorce she became isolated, she didn’t want to see or hear anyone that wasn’t her children. Sam being the best friend that he is, would pick up the kids and take them to school and drop them back off. Nat would go to the shops and sometimes even cook them dinner. She felt like she was causing problems for Nat and Sam because they were spending so much time running around after her that they couldn’t spend any time together.

“Don’t be stupid Y/n. You know me and Sam love you, we are more than happy to help” Nat spoke one night when they were lying in bed together.

“I feel like I’m causing problems and I don’t want you two to argue becau-“

“Y/n stop! You’re not causing problems and we are not arguing, like at all. You know Sam loves them kids of yours, he actually loves taking them to school because and I quote ‘they make me feel cool’” both women chuckle at the red heads husband “so stop милая девушка, we are both here for you, I promise”

She cried herself to sleep most nights, cried for the loss of her marriage - for weeks she would find herself going to play with the ring that use to sit on her fourth finger only for her to look down and only see a fading white tan line. Signing her maiden name not married one took months to engrain as she was just so use to writing Barnes after her name. She would find herself reaching out to the other side of the brand new double sized bed searching for his warmth, always finding it empty, always leaving her feeling alone and cold.

She cried the loss of her friendship with Sharon. They had been friends for nearly three years prior to Sharon introducing her and Bucky to each other. She was the first person Y/n would phone whenever something good and bad happened, she was actually the first person to know Y/n was pregnant with her oldest child - hell it was Sharon that told her she was pregnant as she couldn’t bring herself to look at it. Y/n was always there for Sharon night or day she was there. The pain of her betrayal was almost more unbearable than Bucky’s.

Her mental and physical health took a toll too. Constantly blaming herself for not being enough for him, blaming herself for being tired sometimes to not have sex with him. Blaming herself was so much easier and safer for her than to blame the two people who hurt her. Her weight loss was concerning to Nat and Sam, although she would find herself hungry she just couldn’t stomach anything. Nat cleaned the house whilst Sam took the kids to the park as Y/n had a shower for the first time in nearly a month, she felt like she could conquer the world all because she showered, washed her hair and shaved.

Then she accepted the divorce. She accepted that she was no longer someone’s wife, she even (more dramatically) accepted that she’d be single for the rest of her life. With the help from Linda she accepted that Bucky’s affair was not her fault.

~~~

It had now been two years since they were officially divorced.

Y/n made a friend at work, Peggy. Beautiful, kind and the sweetest person. She had set her up with Steve to help him get himself back out there, they’d been dating for nearly a year. Y/n couldn’t believe how much happier he looked now, she was happy for him truly she was. She believed he deserved it.

Dating for her was, well….

“You’re absolutely glowing ангел” Nat whistled as Y/n walked into the kitchen.

“Stop flirting with me”

“I can’t help it милая девушка”

“Sam come and get your wife!”

“What’s going on?” Sam asks coming to where the women were, placing a kiss on Y/n’s temple then giving Nat a quick kiss.

“Your wife keeps flirting with me”

Wiggling his eyebrows “well things can be arranged”

“Samuel!” Both women scold him but shortly after burst out laughing.

“No but I was telling her that she was glowing” Nat informed.

“You are, you seem happier as well” Sam agreed.

“Well… ikindofmetsomeone”

“What!” Both Sam and Nat shout in unison.

“I met someone..”

“Who?” When? Where? How?” Y/n rolled her eyes at the pair talking in tandem.

“His name is Ari. I literally bumped into after I ran out of the cafe after setting Steve and Peggy up on their date”.

“Is he good to you?”

“Yeah, and he’s great with the kids”

“Wait…he’s met the kids?”

“Yeah it was an accident, James said he couldn’t take the kids because of work and Ari came to pick me up for our date but ended up staying at mine. The kids love him”.

“I can’t wait to meet him!” Nat smiles.

~~~

Bucky hadn’t seen Sharon after he left the next morning, he felt ashamed and guilty for sleeping with her. For some bizarre reason he thought it would be a great idea to go to Nat and Sam’s to talk to Steve.

“Absolutely not. You’re not coming in Buck”

“Please Sam I know he’s here, I jus- I just need to talk to him”

“About what? Jesus Bucky you were having an affair with his wife!”

“I know I just need to apologise” He heard movement behind Sam, when he saw Steve’s pained expression his heart sank.

“I don’t want to hear any apologies. But you will listen to me.” Steve gives Sam a small nod, stepped further out of the doorway. “I have known you since we were kids and not once have I ever not trusted you. Not once have an ever wanted to punch you as much as right now. But.. but I’m not going to, it’s not worth it. You betrayed me man! You knew how much I loved her! And there’s Y/n, you had this perfect woman and you cheated on her!” Slightly shaking his head “you-you had the perfect family and you fucked it up by fucking my wife! I was always jealous of you, did you know that? Sharon never wanted kids so when you told me Y/n was pregnant I was jealous. You two had this perfect relationship whilst me and her were arguing all the time, I was jealous” swallowing hard and taking a deep breath “but you see James as much as I wanted the life you had I would of never and I mean never of done what you have done!”

Bucky stands there with tears rolling down his cheeks, wanting to say something but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“You know when Y/n told me about the affair she couldn’t stop apologising, couldn’t stop crying, she even puked up. I had to calm your wife down trying to reassure her that what you did wasn’t her fault! And where were you huh? Screwing my wife!” Chuckling lightly to himself. “Me and Y/n deserve so much better than you two. I really hope it was worth it James because I can’t forgive you. And the fact you have the audacity to come here after spending the night with Sharon just proves how little you care” when he sees Bucky’s eyebrow twitch in confusion he laughs “I really can’t see Y/n giving you a hickey after she’s told your sorry ass she’s divorcing you. Goodbye James it was nice knowing you”.

Y/n was right, he was alone. He had no one in his corner. Going through the divorce process was difficult for him, like she said she wasn’t going to take anything from him. Custody had been split between them evenly as agreed. The part he was struggling with was, only being able to see her at the weekends, their conversations was just about the kids nothing more nothing less.

Then Sam started to do drop offs and pick up leaving him completely crushed. He no longer got to see her even if it was for 10 or if he was really lucky 15 minutes. The friendship he had with Sam and Nat became strained, he didn’t blame them. He did miss them though.

To deal with the loss of his marriage he turned to drinking. Sometimes he would come home from the bar and call out for Y/n, cry when he got no response, 9 out of 10 times he’d fall over and then fall asleep on the floor.

Then that dreaded day came.

Sam had long gone after dropping the kids off, he was in the middle of cooking dinner with his oldest talking about school when he heard a name he hasn’t heard before.

“Sweetheart what was that?”

“Me and Tommy and Billy are now best friends they’re new to school”

“I’m glad but not that bit baby, you said someone helped you with your homework?”

“Oh Ari, he helps me he’s so clever daddy”

“Who’s Ari?”

“Mommy’s new friend. We saw them kissing” giggling when her younger brother pulls a disgusting face.

Of course he knew that it would happen, her dating. Of course she would, she had every right to find happiness and love after he destroyed that for her. Any man would be lucky enough to be with her - she’s funny, beautiful, loving, kind and passionate, the list goes on - he should know, he was once that lucky man before he fucked it all up.

The knowledge of his now ex-wife is dating again broke something inside of him. What? He doesn’t quite know, he shouldn’t have felt anything other than happiness for her.

~~~

It was their son’s birthday party today, the squeals of close to 30 children running around the backyard full of sugar could be heard from down the street, most of their little faces decorated with face paint.

The birthday boy was currently bouncing around on the dinosaur themed bouncy castle - that he just had to have - after laying on the grass for 10 minutes complaining he was ill. Their oldest daughter was walking around showing the adults her butterfly wings that went with the butterfly paint on her face.

Y/n was rushing around making sure everything was okay and running smoothly as well and making sure everyone was having a good time. Bucky thought she looked absolutely breath taking in the white floral dress and white pumps. Her hair was up in two fishtail braids, just like his daughter.

It was the first time in two years that he saw Steve - like Y/n he looked happier, healthier, freer. The woman that was placed snuggly under his arm was beautiful and when Bucky noticed Steve’s hand position when talking to Sam he saw the pregnancy bump, Bucky couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his former best friend finally getting his dream of being a dad.

The cheerful scream pulled his eyes away from Steve to his daughter who was running past him heading towards the sliding glass doors. A tall, well-built man stood at the doorway with a huge smile on his face.

“Ari Ari - look mommy Ari’s here”

“I can see that sweetie-“

He started to struggle to breath, his own daughter was more happier to see this Ari guy than him, the smile that lit up Y/n’s beautiful face crushed him. Then it got worse for him. He watched as his former best friend go up to Ari and greeted him in the same way them two use to great each other.

~~~

Going back to the once lively and warm house that he once called home the realisation of how truly alone Bucky was, was a tough pill for him to swallow.

~ banner credit goes to @sweetpeapod ~

[leasstories]

Lea’s advent calendar day 23 – You’re the worst

@writerthreads writing prompt for Christmas (2022), prompt 19 :

["I'm going to buy/make the worst secret Santa gift humanly possible"]

Eddie x gn!reader

TW: NSFW, fwb

WC: ≈ 0.6K

December 1986,

Your friends and you had the brilliant idea to do a Christmas Santa, and you drew none other than your not-so secret friend with benefit: Eddie Munson.

Okay maybe you would like to be in an actual relationship with him, but you are to chicken to tell him, so you are content with what you got and do not want to ruin it with your feelings.

You found funny that you drew him and so you decided to by him the worst secret Santa gift humanly possible: something sex related.

You even went as far as to go to the only Sex Toys shop in Hawkins, and you were really embarrassed when you went to the check out when the cashier had to scan the bondage harness and cuffs. You blushed from embarrassment and left the store as fast as humanly possible. You then went home and hid it under your bed, so not parents can’t find it while you rush downstairs to find wrapping paper. You quickly wrap your two gifts and hide them in your closet.

You really can’t wait to see Eddie’s face when he’ll open the gift in front of all your friends. You know how embarrassed he will be, but you really love teasing Eddie. You became friends with benefits when you started nursing his wounds after the Upside-Down events, it started when Eddie was painfully hard and needed a blowjob, you happily gave him that and then it became recurrent. You love to pleasure each other once in a while and Eddie is the god of aftercare, even after you’ve experienced BDSM things. Your well being has always come before his and you really love that about it, it doesn’t just want to have pleasure, he also wants to give you pleasure.

A few days pass and it’s finally the day of your Secret Santa with your friends, you anxiously drive to Steve Harrington’s house. Thank god it’s just a party amongst the older ones from the group, how would you have explained to the younger ones your gift?

You park on Steve’s driveway and anxiously gets out of your car; you’re wrapped gifts clutched in your hands. Steve and Robin welcome you with a huge smile and a big hug and you go sit on the living room. A few moments later, Jonathan and Nancy arrive and the it’s Eddie’s turn.

You all sit crisscross on the ground and start exchanging gifts. The person who drew you was Steve and he gifted you a VHS of the last movie you’ve been keeping rambling on for days.

It’s now your turn to give Eddie your gift and you give the two wrapped paper to him, Eddie shaking with both anxiety and impatience.

Eddie takes his sweet time opening your gift and when he finally sees what it is he quickly hides it, glaring at you.

“You’re the worst!” he exclaims.

You burst out laughing while Steve tries to see what you bought to Eddie.

In the end, no one succeeded in seeing what you bought to Eddie. Once everyone left except Eddie, Eddie led you to your bedroom.

“Now we have to try them.” Eddie says smirking right before kissing your neck.

And you and Eddie did try the bondage harness as well as the bondage cuffs on him that night and you had the best sex you’ve ever had. Eddie even discovered that he liked it when you are dominant in bed and your neighbors probably heard that the two of you had an amazing time, but you couldn’t care less.

[espinosaurusrexex]

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

nine - promises (Bucky's version)

BuckyBarnes x Female!Reader

summary: It's time to make a plan, but the take-down of Wanda's magical town leaves Y/N uncertain. Bucky is doing his best to show her how much she means to him.

a/n: This might be my favorite chapter, but I think I broke my own heart writing it - anybody wanna join the ‘pining for unrealistic men club’?

!Divider is mine. Please give credit when using!

word count: 5.8k

chapter warnings: fluff, a little awkward - Agnes, little angst, some much needed talking, soft Bucky omg - so soft!, smut (oral - m receiving, praise kink, slight overstim, unprotected p in v - wrap it up guys!) !MINIORS DO NOT INTERACT!

✶ 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 ☾

Bucky watched as Y/N moved her hand over the table, provisionally cleaning it for the map to be laid out on. She had beautiful hands, he thought, so soft and careful, but deadly if they wanted to. He never had hands like that. They were always scraped when he was a kid, calloused during the war, and, well... after he just didn’t like them all together. But even now that he had two perfectly fine flesh hands, they were rough and worn, smeared with motor oil or some other thing he could occupy himself within the house.

It was alright, though. Buck would never complain. Not when he knew how much worse things could be. Living in a huge home with the woman he had been having feelings for months was a crazy thing to be mad about. He subtly smiled to his feet when he remembered the call from Y/N and the way he had felt his heart beat slightly faster than normal.

Back when everything was okay - when Steve was still alive and when the avengers were still avenging, his best friend had always wanted Bucky to make a move on the secret crush he had been harboring. So when Y/N had called that night again, he accepted in his honor and in memory of the man he once was and which Steve adored and looked up to once. For a split second, the fraction of a moment, he had been that man again. And he had used its confidence boost to tell her that he would come with her to Westview. And even though the time here had been tough, he was glad he had done it anyway.

Because ever since the pair had entered Westview, Bucky felt a whole new level of connection to Y/N. That pull towards her had intensified and the sensation was only fueled by the need to play pretend - happily married that was. A strange thing to think about still, but it was kind of nice to play house with Y/N. The world seemed a little less heavy and the smiles on his lips a little easier. And despite all those circumstances, Bucky knew that he had found a true friend in her - even more than that actually. Sure, Sam was great, and Zemo was strangely growing on him, too, but neither of them gave him what Y/N could - which was the fulfillment of a need he had thought to have died many decades ago, frozen with the man hydra tortured out of him. 

Y/N gave him comfort and love and warmth and smiles and laughs. And carelessness - weightlessness. Hell, she even chased his nightmares away and Bucky couldn’t believe how much better a good night’s rest made him feel. There was nothing more precious to him than feeling the feelings that made him forget his horrible past. Y/N had proven to give those to him the very first night in Westview, when she had checked on him, simultaneously starting a vacuum of affection that only ever wanted hers.

Bucky’s eyes caught hers for a second and when Y/N sat down, there was that look again and it pulled on his heart. 

Bucky didn't know what had happened with Wanda yesterday. But it definitely didn’t ‘end’ things as Y/N had proclaimed before storming out trying to hide her teary-eyed face in vain. Bucky hated to see her cry. But he hated it even more when she acted all distant and weird like she had after she had come home last night. Was that how people felt about him all the time? Bucky knew that he was not that easy to be around. It wasn’t easy for him to be around other people, either. Which was why it pained him to have one of the only people he liked to be close to, distance themselves.

Y/N wasn’t mad at him - at least he didn't think so - but something had changed the way she looked at him last night. Before it was all doe-eyed and happy and now? Well, now it was still like that but mixed with a dreamy longing, not a good one though - almost like homesickness. He hadn’t even planned on telling her about Natasha, knowing how much of a toll it would take on her, but it was even worse lying to her. So his plastered smile faded and he caved and told her. And even though it was the right thing to do, he would’ve taken it back had he known how much hurt he would find in her eyes ever since. It had happened the first time after he had kissed her this morning and she was looking at him like that right now, too as everyone took a seat at the table, waiting for him to follow.

Vision and Agnes had joined the Wanda intervention team this morning, apparently. It wasn’t too surprising, though. After that first day in Westview where Bucky had followed Agnes in the night, he knew that she knew things nobody else did. The way she snooped around the houses, hiding her calculated mastermind behind the gossipy neighbor lady facade to get even more intel on everyone and everything. It was a smart move, really. But Bucky couldn’t be fooled. Years of training had done that to him. Now, he was glad to finally put those skills to good use: saving people and not killing them.

“There have been instances in this town that do not fall within the realm of normalcy,” Vision started and Bucky couldn’t help but smile when Y/N grumbled a sassy reply to herself.

Vision pointed at the map with his finger before looking into the circle of faces on the table. “The center of Westview is right here. Life is thriving there. As Agnes has told me, Wanda has created a hex summoning everyone under a spell to play characters in Westview. But starting from approximately a one-mile radius,” he circled another area, “life stands still.”

“It’s almost like her magic doesn’t reach that far, so she just decided to freeze the people.” A shiver ran down Bucky’s spine when he said it, remembering when he told Y/N about Natasha the night before. Her eyes were drowning him in sorrow. They were glassy again and it was horrible knowing he couldn’t help her right now. 

When Vision had asked Bucky to follow him instead of coming with him to work like they always had the weeks prior, he knew that something was off - that Vision wasn’t like all the other Westviewers he had met by then. And he had got to admit, seeing Natasha had plummeted his heart like never before. Not necessarily because she was supposed to be dead - he had witnessed far more unsettling things - but because he knew how devastated Y/n would be when he would tell her. Because even if he didn’t plan to initially, he knew he would cave as soon as she laid those pleading eyes on him. 

“It's not like her magic doesn’t reach there. In fact, the border is where it is at its strongest. But she just chose to focus it on the center. Think of Westview as a show. Wanda can choose what characters appear and which don’t. View the edge of town as more of a backstage area.”

“It's so weird. We didn’t notice any of that when we came here. And we actually went through the wall.” Y/N focused on Agnes when she spoke. Talking about it helped - Y/N had shown him that.

“I imagine Wanda knew that and simply adjusted your surroundings.”

Y/N shook her head with sad eyes. “This doesn’t sound like Wanda at all, I don’t know what happened to her, but she is not as bad as everyone makes her out to be.” A fleeting glance caught Bucky’s before he averted them back to the map. 

Agnes just snorted. “Well, Westview makes people do all sorts of things. You of all people should know. It’s not like you chose to fake a marriage when you got here.”

The Black Widow's head shot up suddenly, a dreaded look on her face washing all other emotions off. “Wait, you know?”

He watched as Y/N’s face contorted into an embarrassed one, but Bucky just hid a smile behind the cough he pushed forward. Nothing really surprised him anymore - especially not from Agnes.

“Oh, the entire time, honey. I’m sorry if nobody ever told you this, but your acting skills are in desperate need of work. You looked about as comfortable as a nail bed the day I met you, Y/N. And I know, I’ve laid on one before.” 

“Oh my god,” she whispered into her hands before hiding her face in Bucky’s arm. “Does everyone know?”

“Well, I do. But, I found you two very believable, if I may say so,” Vision added, only easing Y/N’s discomfort superficially, as she still clung to Bucky’s arm like a sloth. He didn’t mind it though. Her touch was what he had been craving all day, so he soaked up every little thing she gave him.

“No. Dare I say that my ability to see through this whole charade is because of my own magic powers. Vision knows because I told him.”

“You’re- okay, yea, why not? It’s not crazy enough that one which accidentally held a whole town hostage, there had to be another which living in it too.” There she was again, the woman Bucky found so enticing. “Why do you know all this, Agnes?”

“I guess it is time to properly introduce myself.” Agnes smoothed over the table and then she smiled. “My name is Agatha Harkness and I am old - let's leave it at that. I know you might think that I have something to do with this, but everything that happened to the people of Westview, happened to me, too. I was able to break out of it at some point, though. It did take some skills, I’ll tell you that. Even if Wanda is not a very experienced witch, her powers are astounding.”

For some reason this statement made Bucky feel slightly uneasy. He had been in countless dangerous situations before, but magic was something, not even his fists could fight against. But there was another thing freeing the worry he felt and it was that someone he cared about was just as much in danger as he was.

“That’s because they’re born out of raw and strong emotions. The pain she must have felt losing me triggered this... town,” Vision explained calmly.

Y/N’s voice sprung up from the short silence that had built between the group: “She was devastated, Vision. I don’t think pain is a strong enough word to describe her feelings.”

“You must excuse me. I cannot possibly comprehend those things.” He had turned more and more into the synthezoid they all knew with every second he spent with them. The only thing left of the chipper family father was the deep feelings he had for Wanda. Even if he didn’t know what it really was, he had told Bucky, they showed him that somebody cared.

“I know...” She whispered, her hand grazing Bucky’s under the table which made him perk up. A small smile appeared on his lips when he took her hand fully into hers, squeezing it reassuringly and taking a deep breath. He was proud to be able to anchor her to the moment. It was a connection he had only ever had twice before in his life. It was still fascinating that a simple touch could ground his emotions and clear his mind. Bucky knew how special it was, and he would never finish being grateful for it.

“God, I really don’t understand how those two acted so badly when they clearly want to jump each other’s bones so much,” Agatha muttered to Vision, but Bucky chose to ignore it and take another look at Y/N instead.

That’s when Y/n cleared her throat as if she had been caught. Her hand remained in Bucky's though, his thumb rubbing slow circled over her soft skin and sending warmth through his body. 

“Okay, so what’s the game plan?”

The dusk was slowly fading from the horizon when Bucky cleaned the last dishes in the sink. Agatha and Vision had left about an hour ago and after a short conversation with Y/N, in which Bucky had insisted on cleaning up, she had excused herself to her room. 

Y/N had not looked good after the meeting today. All zoned out from time to time and even shaky at one point. She was a trained assassin and a strong woman, but moments like these remind him that sometimes the wrong people were chosen for a life they didn’t belong in. Y/N was the kindest most caring person he had ever met, and knowing that somebody forced her childhood from her and built her to do unspeakable things just broke his heart. She didn’t deserve it - most people didn’t. Bucky’s hand had not left her body once that evening. Always touching some part of her to remind her that he was there. She had sent him encouraging smiles with thankful meanings behind them, but he saw that she was far from fine. Who could blame her? She was plotting against her best friend, forced to plan another inevitable heartbreak for an already broken woman.

Bucky watched his hands stir the foam in the sink water from left to right. He would have never thought that he would end up here after everything that’s happened. Soaking dishes in a suburban home with a ‘wife’ upstairs, sleeping the stress of the dinner guests away in their bed. A thought like that would have unsettled him beyond belief just a month ago. Having someone to care for - someone besides himself when he barely lent enough care to his own sometimes.

A future with Y/N wasn’t a scary thought anymore, though. He actually smiled thinking back on the past days in which their happy little family just lived in the most suburban house imaginable. Maybe his broken self had a chance at being happy forever. He could imagine it at least - with Y/N by his side. She broke open the icy layer the winter soldier had built piece by piece and slowly, but surely, fractions of the man he once was shone through the cold blue barrier. He would have never dared to even think about a nine-to-five job and gardening shorts before - not even after Wakanda. But now, he would trade those thoughts for every nightmare he ever had - though, even if those had faded ever since he slept by Y/N’s side. 

The lights on the street turned on with the darkness creeping in the street and Bucky shook his head while draining the dishwater. He put out a new bowl of water for Alpine and let his eyes wander over the surfaces again. Everything was cleaned and stored away. He twisted the wedding band back in his finger and checked for everything a second time, trying to ignore his pounding heart in the process. He didn’t mind it anymore, it was more of a habit now, and deep down, he saw the glimmering metal as a promise to himself and the life he longed to have again. Now there was only one last thing to do, and he had been looking forward to it all day.

Bucky climbed the steps to the first floor. It wasn’t long before he stood in the doorway of the master bedroom where he could see Y/N laying in bed with Alpine snuggled up by her face, a reassuring hand stroking the white fur with love. 

“You’re so lucky, Al,” the woman cooed while Alpine closed her eyes with every stroke of her hand. “You’re just living your oblivious life. Sometimes I wished I could do that, too.”

Y/N sniffed and it was only then that Bucky noticed her tear-stained cheeks glistening in the lamplight. 

Bucky nudged the door open further, revealing his figure in the doorframe where he stood with a shy smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her hand moved to wipe her tears away, but he had already seen them.

His feet took him to the bed where sat down on the edge and stroked Alpine as well. The feline’s purring just intensified with the sensation and Bucky smiled to himself when her tail softly swayed against his wrist. He soaked up the quiet noises of Alpine and the faint smell of Y/N’s shampoo for a while. Neither of them spoke, but Bucky didn’t mind. At least her tears had stopped - that was a good sign, right? But after a while, Bucky grew nervous with the steely gaze on his profile. His hand movement stopped and he forced a small smile on his lips.

“You’ve been staring for a solid three minutes... I thought that was my job.” The small joke made Y/N chuckle through a shaky breath and Bucky felt his cheeks taint darker at the success.

“I’m just thinking, that’s all.”

“Penny for your thoughts?” It was a careful approach to the type of conversation he had often with his former coworker. But even if their topics were rooted in deep issues and fears, he always felt safe discussing them with her. He felt lighter afterwards, too. And he hoped she did as well.

Y/N nodded in his peripheral. “You still mean it, right? That you didn’t want it to be a lie.” And with that, he stopped giving any attention to Alpine. Bucky’s head turned to Y/N’s, his chest squeezing with the thought of breaking a promise such as this one.

His fingers inched over hers. Hers were cold. He watched as they disappeared in his, his left hand coming up to cover them as well. Y/N just let it happen, she even twisted her wrist until she could fully be engulfed by Bucky’s palms where he slowly warmed them up. “If there is one thing I am sure about as of right now, it is this.” He smiled sadly.

Sure, the situation wasn’t ideal, but not even Bucky wouldn’t deny that something beautiful had grown out of it. Bucky leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on her forehead before resting his own against it. Apparently, he didn’t leave enough space for Alpine anymore, because the cat sprung from the bed and disappeared into the hallway.

Another sad chuckle slipped from her lips along with a stray tear that Bucky swiftly wiped away with his thumb. His hand lingered on her face, though, enjoying a warm part of hers.

The air was tingling in his ears with the position they were in - so close and true. Sure feelings just flooded his senses with every second passing by. Y/N locked a hand behind his head and pushed her lips to his. They were salty and wet but they were everything he ever wanted. Kissing Y/N was like taking a deep breath - liberating and safe. He could do it forever - he planned on it actually.

When they broke apart, warm breath tickling dampened skin and eyes still closed with their noses pushed together, Bucky let the shiver run through his body and finally releases the question that had been burning on his mind the whole day.

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better.” She stroked his hair with a sigh. “But having you here is helping a lot... What about you?” 

Bucky exhaled slowly and placed her other hand on his chest guiltily. “Haven’t felt this good in a while, actually.” But it was true and he wouldn’t lie to her. Bucky finally felt as though he was and did well again. He would help Wanda and he would save the people of this town. He would get the girl and he would finally be living the life he had always wanted. 

“That's good.” She whispered against his lips before her arms encircled his torso and wrapped him up in a loving hug. “Yeah..,” he mused into her shoulder where he started to pepper tiny kisses to her skin. It wasn’t long before she shakily whispered his name in the air, soft hands burying in his hair, pulling on the short strands, and moving his head back to her mouth. 

Y/N kissed him with vigor this time - not as careful as before. Though they were still soft, her lips pressed into his with a pleasant force. She leaned back down, drawing Bucky with her in the mattress where he swiftly kicked off his shoes to fully climb into bed. He lay on his side now, Y/N’s face still closely tugged to his. His thumb moved a stray hair from her forehead while his eyes stared into hers. His heart felt so full with her in his arms. Those were the best parts of his life here: having something that made everything worth it again.

“You’re so beautiful,” Bucky whispered absently drowning in the color of her eyes. They were looking back at him in awe and with every blink, the smile beneath them grew.

And before he knew it, Bucky was pulled into another kiss. Wandering hands explored his body this time. There wasn’t a sense of handholding in this kiss - It was needy and desperate. The shift in the atmosphere had almost been drowned out by the tiny noises escaping Y/N’s lips when his thigh moved forward to squeeze between hers. His movements were fueled by feelings he hadn’t felt in years. And yet, here they were, openly laid out on display and ready for him to take them in. And he was ready for them. 

Y/n’s hand found its way beneath his shirt. They were still a little cooler than his skin thus leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. His leg pushed further up between her legs, drawing a throaty ‘please’ from her lungs. Y/N tugged on his shirt but his hand came up to stop her.

“Do you really want this... with me, I mean.” His eyes were boring into hers, looking for a sliver of doubt in there. He would stop and leave if he suspected even a trace. This moment shouldn’t spring from desperation and distraction. He wanted it to be true - he needed it to be true. 

Y/N nodded with a smile before her hands resumed their tugging motion, but Bucky stopped her a second time.

“Say it.”

She looked at him with soft eyes, now. He could practically see her mind clicking while she realized how important this was to him. “I want you, Bucky.”

The brunette nodded in relief and sat up to remove his shirt. When he leaned back down, he positioned himself above her, both arms holding him up by his elbows. But he didn’t move beyond that - just stared at her, imprinting every dip and line on her face into his memory. 

When her hands slid down his torso again, he closed his eyes, trialing the path she took on his body in his mind. Y/N wasn’t just touching him, she was mapping him out, tracing every part of him he was insecure about, and kissing the places that Westview had turned flawless.

He kissed her collar and then traveled down her chest until he reached the hem of her t-shirt. His leg pressed against her core again but this time, she didn’t hold herself back. Y/N’s head fell back on the pillow with an open mouth, her fingers drew him back to her face where she stole more kisses from his lips.

“Let’s make it even.” 

“Yes, please.” Bucky took off her shirt and unclasped her bra while she bucked her hips against his thigh. He was already painfully hard beneath his jeans. Y/n hadn’t even touched him anywhere near his aching cock, her moans and mewls were enough to stimulate his entire body. 

“I need- ah.” His fingers brushed over her hardened nipples before his face pressed to her chest to litter it with kisses again.

“What is it, sweetheart? What do you need?”

“More.” Was all she huffed out as her hands pressed on his shoulder blades. Bucky would give her everything she asked for. And if he couldn’t, he’d find a way. But before he could finish that thought, his mind was clouded with a wave of pleasure when her body brushed up to his cock. 

Warmth seeped through his whole body with every second he spend pressed against hers. Everywhere his fingers went, they brushed over other parts of her skin, never leaving her, never losing contact. Bucky felt alive. A tiny amber in the darkness of his mind that Y/N brought to him and fueled with her steady presence. He was thinking of her, smelling her, touching her. Her, her, her.

“You are perfect.” You’re everything I’ve ever needed. Hushed whispers mapping over pebbled skin, soft lips grazing tender flesh.

Bucky kissed down her torso, enjoying the light scratch of her fingernails on his scalp and then he looked up at her while opening the silver button of her jeans, pulling them off along with her panties. He was quick to follow, kneeling up to open his own but the excitement shooting through his body and the stringing tent in his jeans made it difficult to concentrate. 

“Let me.” Y/N fingers brushed his and moved them to the side. She carefully undid his pants and slid them down his legs.

His breath staggered when she pulled the elastic of his boxer briefs down, letting hard cock bounce up against his stomach. There was a fire in her eyes when she looked back into his again, one hand coming up to push him backwards and onto the end of the bed where Bucky sat dumbfounded and curious about her next move.

“I- wow Bucky.”

A grin replaced the dazed look on his face with her comment, loosening up the air and making him feel confident again.

“Can I?” She nodded towards his groin as even though her eyes were still slightly wider than before Bucky nodded with a smile, his blue eyes melting with the sight of her before him. “Please.”

She kissed up to his hips, her fingers coming up to slowly stroke him until her lips peppered up his thick shaft. Pleasure was already clouding his mind and his cock twitched cheekily against her mouth. That’s when her tongue licked a long stripe from the base up to his tip making him shudder in the process.

“Fuck, baby.” Bucky’s fingers disappeared in her hair, slowly guiding her movements up and down. Her mouth felt heavenly and when she used her tongue to swirl around his tip, he was done for. Small sparks of electricity pulsed in his brain - his. Y/N just hummed around him. Her eyes were closed and an attempted smile tugged on her lips. Bucky couldn’t even focus on it all. He was too occupied with keeping himself from coming right then. But her mouth was just so perfect. Y/N was just...

“Okay, sweetheart. You need to- ah.” Bucky wheezed a small moan before pulling her up and to his face again.

“What’s up?” Y/N grinned, but it was sweet rather than cocky. Just a genuine concern for him.

“Can’t hold it if you keep going like that.”

“Oh, well we should change something then.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.” His hands snuck around her hips and pushed her forward until she was straddling him. Her face was so close to his again, but all she did was place her hands on his cheek, eyes scanning over his features like an open book. 

Bucky let her. He could watch her do anything for hours. There was always something fascinating he could concentrate on. Like the way, her pupils dilated when he licked his lips, or how softly her lashes fanned over her cheeks when she looked at him like that. 

“You have a beautiful soul, Buck.” Her thump smoothed over his brow. “It doesn’t matter that life sometimes makes us feel otherwise.” She stared at him intently, her second hand cupping his chin and Bucky could only stare back in awe. “I will protect you with everything I have. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

This must be what people meant when they said their hearts swelled. Because Bucky was bursting with serotonin right now. There wasn’t a more magical moment, a more perfect choice of words she could have ever placed in his mind. It was an overwhelming feeling, to hold the woman he adored in his arms. And even if it was not quite put in words, this felt like an ‘I love you’.

His brown head of hair hid in her chest and Bucky was sure Y/n could feel his smile on every inch of skin he touched. “Why would you think that this would make me less horny?”

“I wasn’t. It just felt right.” She kissed him again. “Promise me, Bucky. Promise me you will remember it.”

“I promise.” A short silence filled the room in which the pair just stared at each other. “Now, where were we?”

“Something about horny.” 

“Right.” Y/N laughed when Bucky hoisted her up higher and closer to him, but her laugh was cut short once his cock pushed against her clit. A breathy version of his name tumbled over her lips over and over again when his hands guided her back and forth, rocking her up his length until she let her head fall back. 

Bucky took the opportunity to suck her nipple into his mouth, the other being engulfed by his warm hands. With every stroke of his tongue and every rocking motion, her skin became hotter. Her hands found their way to the back of his head where there pressed him deeper into the sensitive buds, moan after moan echoing in the bedroom.

“I’m close. I’m-” her words only spurred him on further, his mouth alternating between her breasts, never leaving one neglected. He needed it to keep himself from bursting. 

“Come on, doll.” Another flick of his tongue, the stroke of a finger. “Give in-” Bucky was cut off by a fervent scream. Y/N’s hands tightened around him and her rocking motions staggered. He muttered a course when he saw the mess in his lap that just shot another rush of blood to his cock. He was painfully hard now, desperate for release and hungry for the taste of her skin on his tongue. 

Y/n whimpered when Bucky rocked her over his slick cock again, the sensitivity seemingly too much, but she didn’t stop him. Rather her breathing picked up again as she fell forwards, lips grazing his ear with every whispered word. “I need you inside of me, baby.”

A smile broke through the heated air when the pair laid gently on the covers, limbs tangling and hands moving over every inch of dampened skin. Bucky placed his skin on hers over and over again so seamlessly, it felt as if he was kissing her for hours. Though the need of his own crept up his spine with every push he sent to the mattress. He needed to feel her - all of her. 

He moved up slightly until his tip poked her entrance, retrieving a needy whimper from Y/N. His lips locked with hers once more and that’s when he pushed forward, entering her in one long stroke and feeling her velvety walls engulf her with unbelievable comfort. 

“Shit. You’re so tight.”

“Move, please, just-” And he did. Bucky pushed in and out of her until his entire body was lifted in ecstasy. Y/N’s legs locked around his hips, giving him even deeper access to her pussy. If he were to die right now, Bucky was sure he couldn’t have done so happier, and more fulfilled than right now. With Y/N and this heavenly feeling consuming him whole. He didn’t know that this is what sex could feel like - what passion did to a moment as intimate as this one.

“You’re so- so big... feels so good.”

“You’re doing so good, sweetheart. Taking me so well.” His hand grabbed hers and pushed their interlocked fingers into the pillow by her head. “Fuck, I wanna stay like this forever.”

“Ah! Then don’t... don’t stop.” 

“Shhhh, baby. I won’t.” Her walls clenched around him and Bucky could feel the precum already dripping from him. He took his other hand and guided in over her breast and stomach and down to her pussy to rub on her clit - tight little circles that made her open her mouth wide and let silent screams escape.

She gripped him even tighter, and Bucky struggled to pull out almost all the way before rocking back in. He grunted into her chest, sweat assembling on his forehead and heartbeat pounding against his ribcage. “Yes, come on. Let go, you’re such a good girl, so - fuck - so perfect.”

“Bucky! Shit, shit!”

“Oh fuck.” Y/N’s walls pulsed unrelenting, pushing him closer and closer to the edge as well. Her fingers scratched his back, her legs squeezing him so close, caging him in her embrace and there was no place he’d rather be right now. He watched as the pleasure washed over her, eyes rolling to the back of her head and muscles taught while unholy words slipped her tongue. 

When the grip on his cock loosened he started moving again. Her whispers engraved themselves into his memory while he chased his own high. He could feel the pleasure already tingling in his toes and when Y/n grabbed his head and bit his lip before soothing it over with her tongue, they overtook his whole body. Bucky moaned into her open mouth, his arm snuck beneath her head while the other grabbed the sheets as he shot his hot load into her pussy, coating her soft walls with white release.

He needed several seconds to recover from the powerful feeling still bouncing through his limbs. His body lowered itself onto hers, careful not to hurt her, he could feel her heartbeat against his skin - pumping in perfect rhythm with his.

When he felt confident enough to not have his muscles give out under him, propped himself up on his elbow. Bucky’s hands instantly shot to Y/N’s face where they drew out her features with careful fingers. Her eyes opened with a smile, her own hands moving up and down his back, covering him in comfort and love.

“Did I tell you that you are perfect?”

Y/N hummed dreamily. “Only about fifty times.”

“Not enough then.” Bucky shook his head, a short curl falling over his forehead, matching the rest of his tussled hair. “Thank you, Y/N, for everything. For sharing this beautiful moment with me.”

“Why does this feel like a goodbye?” She asked unsettled, but not moving in the slightest. She was just as close to him as before - enclosing him with her enchanting aura and that wholesome look in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Bucky kissed her nose. “This is just the beginning.”

𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓

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[medusapelagia]

05 AU-gust: Pet Sitter

Rating: Teen and up Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson WT: none WC: 1272

“You are not listening to me! Vicky said that she is coming to Europe with me! Can’t you see how big is this? Vicky and I, traveled around France, Italy, and Spain, visiting the most romantic town ever. I can already see it: a little cafè in Paris, she orders a salad, I don’t order anything because I’m too nervous, then I drop to my knees and ask her to marry me!” Steve smiles at Robin, she has met Vicky the last semester and she is still convinced that she is the one and that they are going to get married and live happily ever after. He loves Robin, he really does, but she is too naive sometimes, so, as her platonic soulmate, his job is trying to keep her with her feet on the ground. “That’s great babe, but can I remind you that we are not even sure if she likes boobies or not?” “She does. She must! I mean! We are always together!” Steve sighs, Robin and him are always together too but that doesn’t mean that there is any physical attraction between the two of them. “So. Now that it’s clear that we are going to get married soon and that you are going to be my best man… I need a little favor.” “What kind of favor?”

“You know that Vickie works to pay for college right?” “Mmmh…” “It’s nothing too complex. She is a pet sitter, and she already told all his clients that she will not be available for a couple of weeks in August but…” “But?” “She has a client that pays really well and that doesn’t want to look for another pet sitter, so he told her that he will keep her as a pet sitter if she finds a replacement for those two weeks and I happen to know that you are not leaving for holidays this year, so I thought that maybe if it’s not too much to ask for, you could replace her for a couple of weeks.” “I have never done the pet sitter!” he tries to protest. “Well, it’s not hard. I mean, you take out the dog for a couple of hours, give him food and water, and then you go back home. Sounds pretty easy, right?” Steve doesn’t want to remind her that his only experience with pets was when he tried to convince Dsutin’s cat, Mew, to get down the stupid tree and he almost killed himself when he fell. And the cat got down on his own. She seems so fucking happy. How can I deny something to her? “Ok. But just one client!” “You are my savior Steve!”

How hard can it be doing a pet sitter job? Hard. Because Robin didn’t tell him a tiny tiny detail. This man has a dog, a huge, enormous dog that jumped at him as soon as he got into the apartment, a couple of Siamese cats (and he has seen Lily and the Trumps and he knows they are trouble!), and three fucking snakes. And they eat frozen prey. Like mice. And rats. And other things he doesn’t really want to know. Steve takes a deep breath, starting with the easy stuff: refill water for all the animals. The dog is called Ozzy, the two cats are Heatfield and Axl, judging from the name on their bowls, and he has no fucking idea what the snakes' names are but they are three fucking snakes in three different terrains. He gets closer, trying to see the snakes but they seem to be hiding. so he pours some water into their basins and takes the dog out for a walk. During the whole walk, he thinks about calling Robin and saying that he can’t do it, he is very sorry but he can’t. But then he thinks about how happy she is and he decides to help her. It’s only for a week. Then the crazy man who owns all those pets will be back and everything will be ok.

Three days into the job and the dog has almost broken his arm dragging him around the park, one of the snakes bit his hand (he shouldn’t have fed him mice with bare hands but nobody told him!) and he is searching for the cats. He is sure that they are up to some mischief. And he is proven right when he hears the sound of something like glass shattering to the ground. Cleaning the house is not one of his duties, but he will not let the pets with glass all over the house, so he follows the sound that he has heard and finds himself in a studio. The cats have knocked over an ashtray, and while he cleans up the mess he starts to notice the awards behind the desk. Platinum records, Gold records, Grammy awards. Who the hell is the owner of these pets? He gets closer, trying to read the name on the plates, but a voice makes him jump. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my studio?!” He grips the glass and lets out a little whimper, while the blood starts spilling. “You are the worst thief have ever seen!” the man comments, getting closer to him and examining the wound “You have some glass in the wound. I’ll get some tweezers.” “I’m not a thief! I’m a pet sitter.” “Nope. I know who my pet sitter is: a lovely girl named Vickie and you are not her.” “She is on holiday with my friend and they asked me to replace her for a few days. Ouch.” The man who is taking out the glass from his hand can’t be much older than him. Steve looks at the awards “They are all yours?” “No. I robbed them.” Steve turns so abruptly toward him that his neck cracks. “Of course they are mine. I’m quite famous, you know?” “I’m sorry but I have no idea who you are, only that I have to be sure that Ozzy gets his walk and everyone is fed and has enough water.” “So you didn’t do any research? You weren’t curious about whose house was this?” Steve shakes his head “I only got into your studios because the cats broke your ashtray. I’m sorry.” The man smiles “I should have quit years ago. This is as good a time as any.” he cleans his cut, puts a bandage on, and then says “Eddie Munson, singer and guitarist. At your service.” “Steve Harrington, librarian and temporary pet sitter.” They don’t shake hands because Steve is hurt. “Librarian, uh?” “Yeah. I’m actually on holiday but, as I told you, my friend asked me and… weren’t you supposed to be back on Monday?” “Yes I was, but the last concert was canceled and I missed my little troublemakers. Don’t worry. I’ll pay you for the entire week.” “You don’t have to…” “I insist. And you know what? I’m fucking starving! What do you think if I make sure that you are fed and have enough water?” “Sorry?” “I’d like to take you out. Any preference? Thai? Italian? Mexican?” “Oh. Everything is fine, and you don’t have to…” “What if I want to? I’d love to have a little chat with a pretty boy like you. Who knows what other secrets you are hiding?” “Oh, I don’t have any secrets…” he answers meekly. “Let me judge that.”

Years later, when Steve is being interviewed, he remembers the strange chain of events that led him to meet his husband. Everything started with a journey in Europe, some pets, and a very cool guitarist.

[prettyboisteveharrington]

In this world it’s just us

Steve Harrington x Fem! Reader

You left Hawkins the summer after the battle with Vecna and Steve is harbouring some feeling about it and you.

5.8k Lots of angst and fluff just some fluff set almost two years in the future

‘Pretty boy!!’ You exclaimed as you ran over and hugged the daylight out of Steve.

Steve was picking you up from the train station

Steve still looked exactly the same, with his hair as big as ever. He was as beautiful as ever.

You hadn’t seen Him in months. You where coming to see Him, Robin and Eddie for a good two weeks before ‘the kids’ joined you for your barbecue you held every year.

You had left Hawkins to go to College and you came back every single time you could to see Steve, Robin and Eddie who had all Stayed back in Hawkins.

‘Where’s Robin and Eddie!!!’ You exclaimed excited to see your best friends again after months apart

‘Wow i really feel the love’ Steve joked he knew that you loved everyone equally but there was a slight edge to his voice.

‘You are as always my favourite though’ you added sweetly before letting go of Him. You understood that you having left Hawkins after the fight with Vecna had caused some friction with the rest of the friendgroup but you had done what you had felt was for the best.

You still checked in with almost everyone weekly. Everyone except Steve. You had tried in the very beginning to call Him every week but he had claimed that he had been busy.

He would happily drive to get you from the train station every time you came home to visit but he would never drive out to visit you which hurt if you were honest.

Robin, Him and you had been inseparable when you had been Living in Hawkins. Robin, Eddie, and the children had been to see you Many times over the last two years hell even Jonathan and Nancy had been over to your college dorm room to see you, Steve was the only one who never made the effort and it stung considering you always made the effort to see Him.

You had a strong feeling that Steve never forgave you for leaving. You remember how you had begged him to leave Hawkins with you and how it had created this huge miscomunication between the two of you that the two had never recovered from.

Now you were spending two weeks with him at his him. He had offered you to stay with him and you were hoping that you got a chance to really fix things this time around.

The drive to Hawkins was filled with awkward silences. You pondered about what to say. God you missed that days where hanging out with Steve was as easy as breathing.

‘So how have-‘

‘How’s College-‘

You both laughed awkwardly

‘How have you all guys been? I miss you all so much’ you added shyly and looked out Steve’s cars window to avoid his gaze.

‘Well Robin and Vickie are still going strong, Jonathan and Nancy Got engaged, Eddie’s still working in Tape World. The children are going through their senior year at their highschools’

Steve left out himself of course which hurt your feelings.you wanted to know how he was doing as well. You faked a smile and looked over at him.

‘How have you been?’ You asked gingerly as you didn’t want to start anything.

‘I’ve been good. Same old same old’ Steve shrugged and looked at you briefly.

Right. You guessed it would take a minute for him to warm up to you.

You went back to looking out the window.

‘How… how have you been?’ Steve added silently and almost a little eagerly

‘Not bad. Just been busy at with college work. Like usual’ you added

which wasn’t a lie bit not the complete truth either. You don’t mention how much you miss him or how you missed the random late night conversations you used to have on Steve’s balcony when you used to stay over after you had had a group hangout.

‘Cool cool’ Steve added nonchalantly.

The rest of the ride was spent in complete silence and once Steve pulled up to his house and parked his car in the driveway you spotted Robin and Eddie waving at you. You unbuckled your seatbelt and rushed out of the car and ran to Robin and she embraced you in a bone crushing hug.

‘ROBS! IVE MISSED YOU SO DAMN MUCH!!’ You exclaimed as you hugged Robin back with the same amount of strength as she was hugging you with.

‘Y/N!! I’ve missed you too!!’ Robin said as she laughed.

Eddie came over to you and gave you a hug after Robin. He spun you around in the air before putting you back down.

Steve came over with your suitcase and your bag and you thanked him before you all went inside.

‘Tell us everything that has happened lately?’ Eddie asked as you all sat down for dinner and a movie around Steve’s living room.

‘ I’m really enjoying it, the classes are great. Some teachers are great others however maybe not so much. Courtney, Derrick and Vanessa are all amazing and they asked about you the other day’ you said and looked at Eddie excitedly

‘What? About little old me?’ Eddie said and used his hand to swoon dramatically causing you to laugh

‘Uh huh. It’s usually ‘when is your friend with the cool hair coming over again’?’

‘I feel like that nickname is more appropriate for other people ’ Eddie said in an amused tone of voice but stopped dead in his tracks once he realised what he had said he looked like a dear caught in headlights.

Robin shot Steve a look. Steve looked at you and you looked back at him. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was fairly obvious to everyone involved that Steve did not visit you. You were sure Robin beat him over the head with it regularly.

You couldn’t quite read Steve’s expression but it was a mixture of hurt and frustration. You looked down for a moment before continuing to talk.

‘I heard you are still working at Tapeworld! How are you finding it?’

Conversation flowed more easily after that and Steve shot you a look of appreciation and you forced a smile to be polite.

After dinner Steve helped you carry your stuff into the guest bedroom.

The tension was still there. You realized you had had reached your limit.

‘Steve if me staying here is too much-‘

‘Of course not y/n! You are more than welcome to stay’

‘I know. I know. But i can always go stay with my folks’ you shrugged

It was no secret that You had a very strained relationship with your parents. You had told Steve about all the arguments you gotten into with them and even with the distance it hadn’t seemed to help you build any bridges with them.

Being around Steve however brought back old memories. Old feelings and you were sure it did the same for Him.

‘No! No. Absolutely not! I love having you here’ Steve answered in a rushed tone of voice

You looked at him sceptically not quite sure you believed him.

You wanted to ask about why there was tention, why he never came to visit but you bit your tongue. You weren’t sure that you could handle the response.

What if he didn’t want to see you and he was just trying to phase you out of his life gently for the sake of sparing your feelings. Or for the sake of sparing the people in your friendship groups feelings.

‘Okay if you are sure..’ you shrugged your shoulders and tensed up.

Steve could usually read you like an open book and he sensed your discomfort and leaned in to hug you gently. You burried your head in the crook of his neck and he held you close to him. The urge to hold him and never let him go was overwhelming if you were being honest with yourself.

You loved him so much. So deeply that being without him hurt. There had been this unspoken thing between you back when Vecna had been around but it had never moved past friendship but god had you wanted it to. The battle with Vecna had taken it’s toll on everyone, El, Eddie, Nancy and Steve had all been close to deaths door and it made you realize that ypu couldn’t risk loosing anyone you loved ever again but it also made you realize that staying in Hawkins wasn’t an option for you.

You had sat down with your friends at one of the local diners and presented the letter.

‘Is that for the College you applied for?’ Eddie asked you excitedly

You nodded and opened the envelope slowly

Both Robin and Eddie seemed excited for you, Steve however seemed to tense up.

‘I GOT IN! I GOT IN!!’ You exclaimed excitedly and showed everyone at the booth, both Robin and Eddie congratulated you straight away Steve however seemed a lot more hesitant

‘That’s amazing y/n!’ Steve said and he seemed genuinely happy for you but there was something to the way he said it.

Steve was holding on to you like you were a lifeline and he was drowning

‘Steve what’s going on with you ?’ An unspoken with us? Raced through your mind.

‘I’ve just really missed you that is all’ said and held you tighter.

‘Are you sure because if-‘

‘I’m sure’ Steve reassured you but you didn’t fully believe him. Normally you would have bickered with him but you were so tired of it. Tired of the tension. You knew you needed to have a talk with Him at some point but for now you let it go.

You were having a movie night but needed snacks so you had gone with Robin to the store to pick snacks as you figured that Steve could use some time away from you which was ironic considering it was your second day at his house.

‘Robin I don’t know if I can stay there! It’s so awkward and the tension! The fucking tension is killing me.. I don’t even think that he really wants me around you know?’

Robin shook her head at you.

‘Of course he wants you around! He just misses you’

You gave her a pointed look

‘He never calls, never visits. He always seems like he would rather be elsewhere than anywhere near me! I can’t ask him about it either! I’m stuck! Robs what do I do?’

‘ he just needs some time to adjust to things. He will come around okay? You’ll see’

You started tearing up and shook your head.

‘It’s almost been two years! he was my very best friend. The one I would tell everything to! Now he won’t even look at me! ‘I know I left but so did Nance and Jonathan and he’s not giving them any grief and for fuck sake it’s Nance’

‘It’s different with you. Look i think you need to talk to him about all of this’

‘I tried. He deflected my question’ you shrugged

‘Maybe try again once Eddie and I go home’

You started scratching the scabs on your arm because of nerves. Robin reached over and stopped you.

‘Did you ever start dating?’

‘No. He’s all i ever think about ‘ You admitted shook your head.

You were still gone on Steve even after so Long apart. Even though things weren’t what they used to be.Robin and Eddie and everyone else knew about your feelings for Steve. They were pretty obvious at this point.

‘Maybe you should tell him that?’ Robin added softly.

‘Look i know you don’t want to take sides but does he miss me ? Like at all?’

‘Y/n he talks about you all the time’

You gave her a look of disbelief

‘He does! It’s rather obnoxious actually but everytime the three of us is hanging out he mentions how we are missing you. When we watch movies he suggested that we see the Breakfast club because it’s-‘

‘My favorite movie’ you finished as you put the snacks into your trolley and went to the aisle to look for your favourite snack of all time.

‘And he listens to all your favourite songs. He keeps talking about his favorite memories with you as well. All the time’ Robin reassured you gently as you went to pay for the snacks.

You forced a smile and changed the subject as the two of you went to pay for the snacks.

You entered Steve’s house and Steve and Eddie went to grab the bags of your hands

‘It’s okay I got it!’

‘No! No. Go sit down! You are the guest of honour’ Steve said genuinely before he took the snacks from your hands, his fingers brushed yours softly and you saw how he had a soft look on his face and it made your insides melt.

You went to protest but shrugged and Robin sent you a knowing look.

You sat down on the couch as Steve, Eddie and Robin put the snacks out at the table in front of you.

Robin sat down next to Eddie which forced Steve to hesitate for a second before he sat down next to you.

‘So what movie are we watching?’ You asked your friends excitedly

Steve held up the breakfast club and you leaned over and gave him a hug.

‘Oh you guys spoil me’ you gushed and sighed happily as Robin put the video tape in the video player.

You were stealing glances at Steve through the whole movie. His hair was still extremely voluminous and it looked extremely soft to touch as well.

You noticed How his eyes lashed curled up perfectly, his warm whiskey coloured eyes were shining as the lights from his TV reflected into his eyes.

You noticed Him whispering along to his favourite parts in the movie.

The conversation with Robin from earlier was stuck in youe head

He does! It’s rather obnoxious actually but everytime the three of us are hanging out he mentions how we are missing you. When we watch movies he suggested that we see the Breakfast club because it’s-

‘My favorite move ‘

The fact that he was the one who had made Robin and Eddie watch it again tonight gave you hope that maybe just maybe you could fix things between the both of you.

You snuggled up next to Steve tiredly and to your surprise Steve looked down at you and raised his arm so you could snuggle close to his chest. You gave Him a look of appreciation before you put your head on His chest.

Robin and Eddie were being little shits they were throwing popcorn in Steve’s hair which cause Steve to turn around and glare at them annoyed but when he saw them they were making kissing gestures between you and Steve. Steve tensed but you were dozing off and he didn’t want to disturb you.

You woke up the next morning covered up in blakets and to your friends snoring around you. You followed the smell of coffee and saw that Steve was busy in the kitchen.

‘Morning’ you murmered softly as you took in his appearance Steve was wearing silky black pyjamas that fit his body perfectly and you couldn’t stop staring at his shoulders.

Steve turned around and jumped as he hadn’t heard you

‘Fuck sake!’

You laughed for the first time since you arrived and Steve’s started laughing genuinely too.

‘Do you have any food supplies for breakfast ?’

‘In the fridge yes’ Steve added as he poured you a cup of coffee

You noticed how Steve’s chest was exposed slightly and you swallowed a lump in your throat and looked away.

‘Oh you are a lifesaver Steve’ you smiled at him in appreciation as he put down the coffee in front of you

You rummaged through his fridge and grabbed some Eggs, bacon, sausages and mushrooms

‘Are you going through a growth spurt ?’ Steve asked you in a teasing manner as you started to put the food on a frying pan

‘Yes! I aim to be 7 feet tall before the next two weeks are over!’ You shot back at him

He knew you were cooking everyone breakfast. It was in your nature to take care of others. You had done it for years when the kids were younger. You would cook everyone meals, drive them places, pick them up again. You always did everything you could to help everyone.

‘You know i could cook everyone breakfast.. you’re the gue-‘

‘If you finish that sentance I’m kicking you out of the kitchen. You have kindly provided me with a place to crash, food and good company. Let me at the very least cook breakfast in return’ you added and pointed the spatula at Steve

Who held up his hands in defence

‘Don’t shoot! I have a wife and three kids!’

‘More like six kids though they aren’t kids anymore!’ You laughed as you continued to cook breakfast.

‘How is Courtney, Derrick and Vanessa doing?’ Steve asked to fill the silence.

‘Court is amazing she’s always either studying in the library, at a class or hanging out with her Boyfriend, Nessa is and I are always up to no good especially during the breaks and Derrick is always the life of the party! He’s always insisting that i join him and his friends’ you smiled fondly

Steve staying quiet and you continued

‘God he’s so popular too! Everybody loves Him! To be honest I’m surprised he’s still hanging out with the rest of us given that he’s a whole year older’ you laughed

The silence lasted for a good while. You couldn’t help but feel the tention. You turned around and Steve was just looking at you with an unreadable expression, you smiled at him before turning back around.

‘Robin tells me that you two are still working in the family video store ?’ You added before starting to put the cooked food on plates.

Steve seemed hesitant but finally answered and you let go of a breath you didn’t realise you were holding

‘Yeah still the same old same old but Robin makes it enjoyable. We spend the time discussing which movie is the best’ Steve added and shrugs not seeming to be bothered.

an overwhelming wave of panic hits you as you wonder what you had said for Steve to not seem bothered with the current conversation and you zone put and put food on the plates absent mindedly

‘Fuck’ you hiss as you accidentally grazed your hand against the hot pan. You had been lost in your thoughts.

Steve rushes to your side and examinates your hand gently with his hands. His hands are soft and smooth and your cheeks heat up. Steve puts your hand under the cold water before going over to the fridge and he takes a bag of frozen peas out. You turn off the tap and grab the frozen peas from him and put them gently against your hand and wrap a tea towel around your hand.

Steve urge you to go sit down as he finishes plating up the food.

‘Thank you’ you say earnestly and you look away from him as you are embaressed.

‘Anything for the co parent of our children’ Steve jokes and it lightens the mood.

After he’s done plating up the food he goes over to wake up Robin and Eddie who come over and join the two of you for breakfast.

During the evening you all head out for a party at Dustin’s House. Robin is wearing a powersuit, Eddie is in his leater jacket, Steve’s hair is styled nicely and he’s wearing his favourite jeans, a long sleeved top and a denim jacket, you are wearing a black bustier dress with a leather jacket over it.

Steve gives you an stunned look as he sees you in the dress and you beam at him before looking away shyly.

You decide that the tension between you had gone on long enough and that you had to talk to him tonight.

‘Y/N!’ Dustin exclaims as he opens the door

‘DUSTIN’ you exclaim as you pull him into a bone crushing hug

You hadn’t seen him in months and he had grown. He was gotten a lot taller.

‘It’s been too long !’ Dustin says as he leads you into his House and offers you some punch.

You spot Mike, Lucas and Max and your whole face lights up.

‘Y/N!!!’ Everyone exclaims excited

You pull everyone into a group hug. You spend the next while asking how they are all doing and you catch up. Lucas is still on the basket ball team, Dustin and Mike are running Hellfire club, Max have joined the AV club, they are all still good friends despite having different interests which warms your heart.

You talk about your friends at college once Derrick gets mentioned you see Dustin give Steve a look that leaves you utterly confused.

‘We should talk’ you say and this time Steve doesn’t protest against it.

You lead him outside Dustin’s front yard on his porch it’s quiet and you look up at the sky. The Sun is setting beautifully over Hawkins

Steve is quiet and avoiding your gaze.

‘So… what’s going on with you ?’ You ask gently.

Steve crosses his arms over his chest still avoiding your gaze.

‘Nothing is going on’ Steve shrugs

You don’t buy it for one second.

‘Steve everytime i bring up my life you act weird! Why is that?’ You ask as you walk closer to him. As soon as you take a step forward he takes a step back.

‘ it’s nothing. It’s not important’ Steve still avoids your gaze and it hurts you as you see his face is scrunched up.

‘It is to me. Look I get that you were disapointed when I left for college but you can’t hold it over my head forever! It’s not fair’

‘ You left! We needed you! I needed you!’ Steve exclaimed and pointed his arms at you in frustration.

‘I asked you to come with me! I didn’t just up and leave with no letter or note. You had Robin and Eddie around. You didn’t need me. You clearly still don’t’ you said hurt by his words. Your eyes are glossy.

‘That’s not true!’

‘Oh please spare me! You never call, you never visit and every single time I’m here you act like you would rather be anywhere but near me! ‘

‘I asked you to come with me! I didn’t just up and leave with no letter or note. You had Robin and Eddie around. You didn’t need me. You clearly still don’t’ you said hurt by his words. Your eyes are glossy.

‘That’s not true!’

‘Oh please spare me! You never call, you never visit and every single time I’m here you act like you would rather be anywhere but near me! ‘

‘Y/n that’s not true I - I’ Steve stumbled over his words and tried to reach out for you but he stops himself.

‘Look I won’t make me staying here hard for anyone. I’m going to stay with my folks for the rest of the trip and I’ll get Eddie to bring me my stuff tomorrow. Goodbye Steve. I’ll see you around’ you said and backed away from him and walked off towards your parents house. Years streaming down your face.

Steve went back into the party and grabbed a drink.

‘Steve where’s y/n?’ Dustin asked as he saw Steve down the drink and grab another one.

‘ she went home to her parents’ Steve shrugged.

Dustin, Eddie and Robin exchanged worried looks between each other. They all knew you wouldn’t willingly go back home unless something was wrong.

‘Why did she go home? What happened dude?

‘Yeah Steve what did you say’

Steve filled everyone in on the conversation that had happened between the two of you.

‘ he’s hopeless!’ Dustin exclaimed in annoyance.

‘Why am I hopeless?’ Steve grabbed another drink and downed it like it was apple juice.

‘Woah man easy on the drinking!’ Eddie said and grabbed the next cup out of his hand before he could drink that too.

Steve was becoming slightly tipsy at this point.

‘Did you at any point tell y/n how you really felt about her?’ Robin asked impatiently

‘What is that supposed to mean?’

‘I take that back. He’s an actual dumbass’ Dustin said and sighed in frustration

‘Hey! I’m not a dumbass’

‘Steve you didn’t walk after her! Or tell her how much in love with her you are!’ Dustin exclaimed

‘I’m not in- in love with herrr!!!’ Steve said his words were slurring

‘Steve you’re such a dumbass! You talk about her all the time when we hang out but when she’s actually here you do nothing but push her away’ Robin said and raised her eyebrows at him

‘It doesn’t matter! She’s into D-Der-Derrick!’

‘Did she say that?’ Eddie asked and shot Robin and Dustin a look of disbelief they both shook their heads

Steve walked off and sulked on the couch as he continued drinking while he asked for you. It came to the point where Robin called you

‘Hello?’ You asked tiredly

‘Y/n! Steve’s wasted and he’s asking for you’

‘Robin he’s made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to see me’

‘Please! He won’t stop drinking and I’m getting worried about him. We need you. He needs you’

‘I’ll be there in 15 minutes. See if you can get him to drink water’

You hung up and ran over to the party. You were still hurt. But he needed you

The night you had asked Steve to come with you was still stuck in your head.

‘Steve come with me! Please! You Can apply for college next year and find work until then!.’

‘I can’t y/n. The kids need me!’

‘You shouldn’t be staying here! None of us should! Please Steve i need you’

‘You don’t need me. You have never needed anyone. I can’t believe you are leaving them. Leaving us. Leaving me’.

You had desperately needed a change after Vecna’s curse. You had almost lost your life in the battle against Him so had Steve, Robin, Eddie and Nancy.

After that you needed a fresh start. Away from Hawkins. The upside down might have been closed thanks to El getting her powers back but Hawkins was still the place where things died and who is to say the upside down wouldn’t open in the future.

You went back into Dustin’s house and Saw Steve lying on the couch.

‘Darling! Yo- you’reee here!’

You sat down on the floor next to him. Seeing him like this hurt.

‘I’m here pretty boy. Now let’s get you home okay?’

Eddie and Robin helped get Steve out into the car. Once his seatbelt was buckled you looked out through the drivers side

‘Do you guys have a lift home?’

‘We will figure something out. Don’t worry about us!’ Eddie reasured you.

You nodded and drove off. Once you got to Steve’s house you parked his car and got Steve out from the passenger side. He swayed a lot.

‘Woah easy there pretty boy’ you said as you locked his car and guided him towards his house.

Once you got inside you made him sit down and gave him a drink of water. You made sure that he had a bucket of water near the couch in case he got sick.

You reached over and pushed his hair away from his face, your hands touched his face and he leaned into the touch. Your cheeks coloured and you had to remind yourself that he was wasted. That whatever happened tonight didn’t mean anything.

Steve was looking at your lips longingly as if he wanted to reach out and kiss you. Which hurt you when it was everything you wanted from Steve or at least when Steve was sober.

‘You ca- came for meee. I thought you h-h-hated me’ Steve said earnestly.

‘Sssh Steve drink some water okay?’

Steve leaned in so his face was inches away from yours. His hand caressing your face gently.

‘You know- i- I’ve always wan- wanted to ki-‘ Steve stopped

‘You need to rest Pretty boy. You are exhausted.’

His hand was still caressing your face and you closed your eyes and savored the moment. You felt selfish. You knew this wasn’t real.

‘Der- Derrickk is a lucky guy. He get’s to-‘ Steve started to make gagging noises and you reached over and got the bucket just in time before Steve started hurling

You spent the rest of the night caressing Steve’s back as he was hurling. He eventually fell asleep and you tidied up after him and made sure to put some asparin and a glass of water down on the table next to the couch before you fell asleep at the other end of the couch.

When you woke up you had a dull pain in your neck. You opened your eyes and saw Steve staring at you.

‘You stayed’ he stated in shock

‘Of course i stayed. You needed me’ you said and moved closer to him

‘Thank you’

‘You know I would do anything for you. But i think you might need space from me so i should go’ you said sadly but before you got up Steve’s hand found yours and squeezed it.

‘Please stay. I’ll tell you everything. I promise’ Steve pleaded desperately

You looked into his eyes and he looked into yours. He seemed vulnerable. You nodded

‘Okay I’ll stay’

Steve spent the next few hours sleeping of his hangover and you were out by the pool by yourself, putting your toes in the water.

Steve came out and joined you. He sat down next to you and remained silent.

You looked over at him and he looked at you before putting your hand on top of his and squeezing it in reassurance.

‘I’m sorry for how I’ve been treating you. How I’ve reacted the last two years have been completely unfair.’

You squeezed his hand once again to encourage him to continue.

‘ when you mentioned you wanted to leave I didn’t take it well. It wasn’t because you left Hawkins I understood why you needed to. But when you left you took a big piece of me with you’

‘ I wanted you to come with me.’ You added as you looked down at your hand on top of his.

‘I never came to see you because I figured it was only a matter of time before you realised that you didn’t need a washed up loser like me in your life.’

‘You’re not a l-‘

‘I still work the same job, i live in the same town. I never made it to College.’ Steve finished somewhat embaressed

‘You have fought off monsters and survived. You have protected our kids and made sure they are all safe. You’re a hero Steve. I think the world of you’

‘Yeah?’

‘I talk about you to my friends all the time. So much so that it makes them sick. You are the most kind hearted person I’ve ever met.’

Steve gives you the first genuine smile since you arrived.

‘ I didn’t want to leave you or the kids or our friends but i couldn’t stay without the constant reminder of death or pain or even loss it was too overwhelming for me’

‘I understand. I’m sorry I haven’t been supportive of your decision to leave. I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you’

‘I get it. Your life is here. I just hope one day you choose to live for you. Not because someone needs you but because you want to live for you ’

Steve leaned in and hugged you tightly.

‘I’ve missed you so much’ Steve admitted as he held you tightly against him and you hugged him back just as fiercely.

‘I’ve missed you too’

Once he finally let go of you you looked at him and he looked back at you. Your faces were inches apart.

You wanted to learn in and kiss him but a part of you was scared of driving him away but you kept thinking about what he had said the night before.

Steve leaned in so his face was inches away from yours. His hand caressing your face gently.

‘You know- i- I’ve always wan- wanted to ki-‘ Steve stopped

‘Pretty boy?’ You asked gently testing the waters. You saw how his whole body relaxed and how he rested his forehead against yours.

‘Did you mean what you said last night. I know you were intoxicated but was there any truth to what you said?’

‘I meant everything i said but I have to know if Derrick is your boyfri-‘

You shook your head

‘I’m not even remotely interested in Derek. You are the one i want. You are the one i have always wanted’

Steve leaned in and kissed you, his lips were soft and warm against yours. Your hands cradled his face. His hands caressed your back. You moaned softly against him and he kissed you more passionately.

Once you broke apart you looked at him softly. You leaned in an kissed his forehead, then his cheek and then gave Him a peck on the lips.

‘Go on a date with me?’ Steve asked you before intertwining his hands with yours.

‘I would love to’.

That evening you went on your first date with Steve. You went out for dinner and you spent the entire time holding hands and catching up about your lives.

‘You have got to come meet my friends because they all want to meet you. I’m pretty sure they think I made you up at this point. Also I’m pretty sure Derrick is completely smitten with Eddie.’ You rambled as you ate one of your chips

Steve looked at you in disbelief

‘You never mentioned that!’ Steve protested his mouth open

‘Eddie doesn’t know but I’m hoping that they can spend some time together next time he visits’ you shrugged and Steve chuckled

‘Will you come visit me though?’ You asked shyly but kept looking at him

‘I would love to. Hell I’ll even sleep over on a mattress in the floor if that means I get more time with you’

You gave him kiss on the lips and rested your head om his shoulder. He leaned in and kissed the top of your head.

After dinner you went Home and watched a movie as you cuddled up on the couch and made out.

The rest of your days visiting Steve you spent them going on dates and cuddling and at the day of the barbeque you helped Steve get ready.

Everyone came over and brought food.

Max, Dustin, Eddie, Lucas, Robin and Mike were all gathered around a table in Steve’s back yard catching up on life.

You and Steve grilled the meat and at one point he wrapped his hands around your waist and kissed you passionately and you hummed against his lips.

Your friends around you cheered

‘Thank god you finally got your head out of your ass!’ Dustin exclaimed.

‘FUCKING FINALLY’ Robin and Eddie exclaimed in synchronisation and signed in relief.

By the end of the night everyone went on top of Steve’s balcony and watched the stars.

You were lying down next to Steve and put your head on his chest and he put his head on top of yours.

‘Steve?’

‘Yes Darling?’

‘What happens when i go back to college ?’ You asked Steve unsurely.

‘I’ll come visit you. You’ll come visit me?’ Steve asked

‘I would like that but what are we? ‘ you asked nervously.

‘I would like us to offical if you want that too’ Steve suggested and looked at you

‘Yes i would love that very much’ you said and leaned up and kissed him

‘Good because I’m never letting you go’ Steve admitted before holding you closer.

You looked back up at the the sky and smiled.

[corrodedcoughin]

Okay so this one comes with a bit of backstory so congrats your getting anon lore

I am the child of somone with a traumatic brain injury and chronic migraines so the Steve has migraines and a traumatic brain injury headcannon is very important to me

One thing that I have never seen addressed (possibly because people don't know about them) are aphasias now there are very sever ones of these where people lose almost all ability to talk but that's not the kind I think Steve has that usually comes from a stroke

No I'm talking about aphasias that cause him to switch words and not relize it. (Example my father at the beginning of quarantine kept saying killer teens instead of quarantine)

Now there is alot of angst potential here around people not realizing and just thinking he's dumb. Steve not remembering words and getting things mixed up without realizing it. Not one of them would think anything else. Until he finds it on a list of side effects his doctor gave him. And while sometimes they can laugh about it other times he just get frustrated because he's trying to communicate and he can't properly

I also feel like Steve when he has bad days he puts things in the wrong places (my family has found dry goods in the refrigerator before so I'm thinking cereal in the fridge might be something he does)

There are also times when he can't be around anyone (he loves them but they make it hurt I'm not going to make it too sad I'm gonna say this is a once like a three month thing for Steve this really depends on the severity of the brain injury and individual situations)

He also is more sensitive to air pressure even if it takes him a while to figure out what it is

This is just one thing that I'm really happy to see a Fandom address because it is so personal to me. I lived from ages 7 to 18 with someone who had a tbi and it's nice for head injuries to be acknowledged

-✏️

anon thank you so much for telling me this and sharing your ideas. I can completely see what you are saying and you are right, this is something that goes unaddressed and I’m guilty of that too. I work in adult health and social care and have worked in rehab in tbi wards and the community.

Aphasias are so common in this area and are so personal from person to person. Ataxic movements (decreased muscle control and tone) and sensory processing issues can look minor but hugely impact a person. I’m not saying any of this to try and educate you, you’ll have a much deeper knowledge than I ever could, I’m just hoping to highlight this to anyone reading who doesn’t have experience with brain injuries.

If you ever feel like writing Steve with a tbi I’ll happily read it and promote it because it is important. Maybe he has secret hopes of ‘spontaneous recovery’ that is talked about all too frequently. Maybe he has aids and adaptions to his house to make his life easier - grips for door handles when his own grip is playing up, memory aids insides the doors of cupboards to tell him what goes where, a grab rail or chair in the shower because he’s fallen one too many times and after Eddie finds out he talks to Steve and they agree that this might keep him a little less bruised.

Everyone is sensitive to him but sometimes that’s just too much, he wants to be treated like normal, like he isn’t mixing words up more than he ‘should’, that he can take a whole morning to remember the word for spoon when it’s sitting right at the edge of his brain but he can’t make it come out.

It’s hard, even on good days it’s hard and yeah, he has to seclude himself from the watching eyes and ‘how are you feeling today Steve?’ Like he has to give a daily update. He knows they care which is why it hurts all the more, he used to be the babysitter, the protector and now he feels that the roles are reversed.

What Steve doesn’t realise is how much he’s still doing for everyone. Never stopped doing for everyone. Checking in with them, asking how their games/rehearsals/projects/assignments are going, trying to find out if there is anything they need that he can get for them. Steve is still hugely his old self, he just can’t see it.

Sometimes he just can’t contain the anger or sadness or frustration at himself. He knows this is part of it. Has been told that mood processing can be impacted. He takes himself away when he thinks he is being ‘too much’ but his friends don’t let him. They pull him back in and hold him close, letting him know that they love him, all parts of him and that isn’t going to change

[imaginativeavengers]

So this is Christmas...

Having a slight disagreement with the two about the excessive amount of money that they spend on presents. They kept promising that they hadn’t spent too much but they kept coming home with bags full of stuff as they lovingly put it.

Trying to find a secluded part of the home to wrap the gifts you had lovingly picked out. It seemed that each time you disappeared off alone Steve would be close and nosier than ever.

Wanda pre-baking you a gingerbread kit so that you can spend time putting it together with them. Steve was very interested in wanting to make the perfect structure whilst Bucky just helped himself to spare candies and licking icing from fingers.

Another disagreement came regarding decorating the house and buying the tree. They usually just got decorators in over the Holidays to deal with it for them, but you were adamant that you wanted it to become a tradition. They end up surprising you with an enormous tree and a whole bunch of decorations.

It takes a whole evening to decorate the time, half of which you spent on Steve’s shoulders balancing to decorate the top of the tree. Bucky had nervously stood guard the whole time should you had slipped and was very happy once you returned to steady ground.

Steve mastered a hot cocoa recipe. It was incredibly decedent and included way too much sugar and cream but was delicious. He started counting each mini marshmallow after a small sulking session that someone threw.

The three of you snuggled up on the couch to watch a NIGHT of Christmas movies whilst munching away on candies. Bucky had fallen asleep by the end of the night but it led to you getting a few wonderful pictures on your phone of the exhausted and snoring man.

You all decided to throw the most amazing Christmas Eve party. Everyone was there. It was full of joy and singing, even some gift exchanging. After a little too much booze Natasha accidentally dropped a glass of red wine on Bucky’s new white rug which left him going to bed in a grumpy mood but his spirits were soon lifted by you and Steve.

Christmas morning sex. It’s sleepy and slow and sensual. Deep moans and crashing hips. Wet, open-mouthed kisses. Both holes completely stuffed and filled. Bucky snaps a picture of the mess they made, his perfect present.

When you’re all cleaned and ready Steve rushes away to grab the bundles of presents. The three of you sit on your large bed and open them happily, you complain about them spending too much money, but each time they shush you with a kiss. It is all extravagant stuff, but some of your favourite presents are the simpler stuff. They beautiful pen that Steve had engraved with your names. The gorgeous rings that Bucky had his jeweller make; one with JBB and the other SGR. The framed photo of the three of you Steve had pulled together. The notebook that Bucky had handpicked out in your favourite colour.

After that Steve gets to cooking the dinner. He wears the new ‘kiss the cook’ apron that your gifted him and sets off to the kitchen. Meanwhile you and Bucky clean the house, getting things ready from when your families arrive.

Bucky’s mother and sister arrive first. There was tones of kisses and gifts exchanged before your parents arrive too. Introductions are given and more gifts were exchanged.

You all eat a huge amount of food, having to pop a button on your jeans to release a little bit of tension. The food was amazingly cooked, Steve certainly did live up to his reputation. Everyone complimented him on his skills leaving you and Bucky feeling overly proud of him.

The whole family can barely move after the food. Instead, just deciding to watch TV and talk about recent events. It feels nice. It feels like any other family. Even after offering to have them spend the night both of your families decide, they rather just go home, wanting to be in their own beds which you understand.

After they leave you realise that it is difficult for Steve having no family to bring around for the day. You and Bucky spend time reminding him that you’re both his family now, kissing the tears away as they fall.

The three of you snuggle up in bed after. Bucky falls into a deep sleep first and you almost do until you feel Steve stirring. When you ask what he is doing, Steve informs you that he’s going to bed a midnight snack, which you join him for.

These are some headcanons following the same relatonship that is in The Missing Piece and Snakes & Ladders.

[gravegroves]

"steve kills neil" hell yeah, now we're talking

Lol, you wanna read it? Here ya go:

The newspaper article never mentions why Steve Harrington drove to Old Cherry Lane one early December morning and caved Neil Hargrove’s skull in with a nail studded bat. Though there are... rumours.

It doesn’t mention Neil's son -- well, it does, but it doesn't mention how the day before, Billy had limped and later crawled his way to Loch Nora, half frozen, barely conscious and almost unrecognisable to his boyfriend when he answered the scrambled knocking on the door.

(It doesn't mention how unsteady Billy was on his feet for weeks after, how the hearing in his right ear was almost completely gone and never really improved much in the years since or the seven -- seven -- broken ribs, the dislocated shoulder or the fractured collarbone.)

It doesn't mention how Steve had held Billy until he passed out from pain and exhaustion, barely able to breathe, but still able to make Steve swear not to take him to a hospital.

It doesn't mention Steve panicking for two hours. Listening to Billy's rasping breaths and not knowing what to do. Or Steve picking Billy up and, in a feat of pure desperation, carried him to his car. How he drove like a bat out of hell to a clinic two towns over and hoping to Christ that they'd be able to help.

It doesn't mention the one nurse who takes one look at Steve clutching Billy's limp hand and understands. Who calls her brother doing his residency at the local hospital and tells him to sneak out an IV bag and to come check out a patient. Or the other nurse who keeps the clinic open and stays with them all night, checking on Billy's concussion every few hours and squeezes Steve's shoulder whenever he looks seconds from breaking apart.

It doesn't mention Steve driving Billy home in the early hours of the morning -- taking him up to his room and laying him on the bed where Billy had laid many times before. How Steve had tried to touch Billy, to comfort him, but there isn't a patch of skin left unmarked or uninjured for him to run his fingers over. How he runs from the room to scream into his fist.

It doesn't mention Steve sprinting to his car, driving in silence -- so carefully. Wanting to get to his destination unfollowed and unbothered.

It doesn't mention Max answering the door, how she watches him standing on the porch with the nail bat clutched in his hand, or how she silently lets Steve move past her into the house and gently push her outside before he closes the door. Or how she walks down to sit on the curb beside their driveway. Refusing to cry.

---

It does mention the screams that startle a neighbour. 

It does mention Susan Hargrove being shoved and locked into Billy's room after the first swing incapacitates her husband.

It does mention that Neil Hargrove's head had resembled more of a pulpy soup by the time Steve hits hard enough to embed the nails into the floor and leaves it there, poking up from the mess like a tombstone.

It does mention Steve walking calmly out onto the lawn, covered in blood and bits of brain to tell Max to go to the Sinclair's and to stay there.

It does mention Steve going home to change before turning up at the bank, draining his account and as much from his parents' as he can manage before he and Billy disappear.

It does mention the last place they were rumoured to have been seen: five states away, sitting in a diner and holding hands across the table.

It does mention the fact that the boys have yet to be found, some four years later.

---

It doesn't mention the people they left behind.

It doesn't mention that Nancy Wheeler chooses to abandon her dreams of becoming a journalist. That publishers are only ever interested in her stories if she's willing to talk about Steve Harrington. Her ex boyfriend. The Killer King of Hawkins High.

It doesn't mention how Steve's parents sell the house and leave Hawkins for good. How his father loses his job and his mother her bankroll. How they get divorced and never speak again and it's like their little charade of a family had never existed at all.

It doesn't mention that Tommy and Carol never regain any significant social standing at Hawkins High or that they leave the town not long after graduation. They are the couple that hung out with a killer and his suspected accomplice, possible gay lover, and in Hawkins, that's all they'll ever be.

It doesn't mention how Jim Hopper spends sleepless nights talking himself out of tampering with evidence. How one day, in desperation, he asks El to find either of the boys, but only gets a shake of her head in response and a firm: "Better like this."

It doesn't mention how Susan Hargrove, soon to be Mayfield once again, moves herself and her daughter to a different house. How she tries to repair the relationship with her daughter as best as she can, but the damage is mostly done. 

It doesn't mention that Claudia Henderson cries herself to sleep for many nights after, thinking of all the times she let that boy near her precious Dusty.

It doesn't mention how Dustin still talks into his walkie talkie at night, tuned to a private frequency that never answers him back. How he buys a bottle of Farrah Fawcett hair spray and uses it religiously despite varied results. How sometimes, when the party meets up, he and Max will lock eyes and share a private moment of pain that neither of them can talk about out loud.

It doesn't mention the envelope Max receives two days before her graduation and three weeks before she moves out for good. It contains a photograph of two young men kissing in front of a huge ornate building, holding up their hands with matching rings.

It doesn't mention how Max smiles at the writing on the back, tucks it away for safekeeping and wonders if she can save enough to go to Europe before her first summer break at college. How Max already knows Dustin will join her.

---

It doesn't mention that Billy and Steve live happily ever after.

But they do.

[withoneheadlight]

ok i saw this cap of zoë kravitz in hf and she's got such a dreamy expression, she looks so deeply self-absorbed and infatuated by whatever she's imagining and those lines. and i couldn't stop picturing billy exactly like that for days so,

,

There’s a pretty unusual sound coming off the house when Max comes back home, that summer afternoon.

Full volume. Walls shaking. And she quietly walks to the source of the sound, holding back her breath right in front of Billy's room because, there's this second sound? Stranger and way more unsettling and Max's not sure-sure at first but then Steve Perry’s voice takes off and Billy’s follows it and then he's like, singing along and. Well. Max did know Billy liked Journey but not like, their 'stuff for pussies' but uhm, he does, apparently. Rasps his voice all the way through ‘Faithfully’. Kind of, sighs. Longingly? When it ends? But pfff, ok, big brothers are weird. Definitely weirder after being possessed and then kind of resurrected. Even if it's in a good-weird way but, whatever. So Max's just about to sneak to her room, dutifully rolling her eyes, steps muffled by the first chords of 'Edge of the blade' when―

Click. Click. Billy stops the tape. Click. Takes it out. Tap. Tap. Click. Puts on― Billy puts. On,

Heaven.

Bryan Adams’ Heaven.

And Max―

Being a younger sister is a meticulous kind of full-time, private detective job. You gotta learn how the person you’ve been watching so carefully for years and years works. Hafta develop some sort of―sense about your target. And Billy’s been—un-Billy-like? These past two months. Smiling more. Telling more jokes. Playing ‘You shook me all night long’ in a loop on their drive to school and back, not complaining at all but even joining when’s Max who can’t help but sing along so.

So. She retraces her steps. Knocks. Takes the distracted grunt she gets as a ‘Yeahyeah, c’mon in c’mon in’ and,

Creak. Creak. ‘―baby you’re all that I want’

“Billy?”

Billy’s sitting cross-legged on the floor. Radio close to his knees. Cassettes scattered everywhere. Piles and piles of breakwater surrounding Billy’s old, rusty beacon of sound. He’s reading through the song-list of one of the tapes, a smoke locked on the corner of his mouth, bouncing up and down with every little, absent suck he takes, and he looks. He looks―

Self-absorbed and even. Relaxed. Happy. Like whatever he’s thinking about right now is actually carrying his thoughts away to fucking heaven.

“Ehh”

“Uh-hu?”

‘When you’re lying here in my arms!’

“Billy are you. What―” ‘I'm findin' it hard to believe. We're in heaven’ “What are you doing?”

But there’s this orbit around the sun and then there’s whatever one Billy's been spinning along with the last couple of months so he completely ignores her question. Shakes the tape on his left hand. Picks another one from the pile on his right. Asks her.

“Is Billy Ocean too much? ‘Cause I think it’s too much. But it kind of fits into what I'm trying to say so” he says, shrugs, looking up at Max and waiting for the answer of what she realizes was not really a question. Not at all. So she does her little sister job and just, nods “Right. That’s good. I think it’ll slide just nicely into Bruce Springsteen and―”

“Billy” Max insists, waiting for the charm of the third time to work. It doesn’t. Not really. But keeps Billy's eyes on her long enough to squeeze an “A mixtape?” And, uh. That’s what gets it on. The charm “Are you making a mixtape?”

“Uh?”

And it’s like Max just shook Billy out of a daydream. Ash plopping down from his cigarette as his lips try but can’t purse and Max― she’s good. She’s stellar at this detective thing. Recognizes an opening the moment she sees it, right there in front of her, frozen in the middle of shaking Billy Ocean and Bruce Springsteen in the air right before cocktailing them together. Shaken, not stirred, please. Max’s upgraded to James Bond-level just right now.

“You’re making a mixtape for someone”

“Oh-nonoMaxi―”

“But you didn’t have those tapes before. Not even in your secret stash”

“How do yo―?”

“Holy. ShIT. You’ve been listening to somebody else’s music” This is. Oh, God. This. Is. GOLD. Max gotta take a moment. Blink. Breathe. Process. Her hands move by themselves, palms spread toward Billy in a wait-a-minute kind of gesture except. Max’s gonna need way more than a minute for this “You’ve accepted a music recommendation”

“Maaaaax”

“Gosh, you’ve even listened to the tapes enough to. Make―”

“Max!”

“I just can’t believe it”

And Max was glad. Well. As glad as one can be. Bunch weeks ago. Her mom and Neil out for the day. Coming back home a little earlier than she usually does to hear those ugh. Those other noises. Happy screams. Again. After months and months of Billy being basically alone except for her and the party and Steve. And Max’s so glad, of course she is. But she’s also a little sister. And all this investigation work has a high, rightful purpose.

Make her big brother’s life a living. Hell.

“Oh my god, you must be so gone!” Max brings her hands to her mouth. Takes a deep, deep breath that’s more a poorly restrained giggle. Shoots her index at him “Is it Bon Jovi? What I’m seeing right there? Goddam, Billy are you in lo―”

Bam.

Bam. Bam!

The front door.

What a way to spoil the fun. Max doesn’t have time for this. She’s working.

“BILLY?” comes a voice from the other side “Billy are you in there?”

Steve.

Oh.

What a way to make the fun a hundred times better.

Bam.Bam.Bam!

She’s starting to move to get to the door, sinsonging “Well, I guess Steve’s gonna find out you’re so stupid in love you’re willingly listening to―” when she realizes Billy’s eyes have widened and he’s jerkingly trying to unfreeze, he’s mumbling something in around his already extinguished cigarette in the ways of “Can’t” and “Find out” and “Surprise” and “Fucking help me!” While literally trying to shove the huge mass of tapes under his bed, his tone like hurryhurryhurry!, like he would start gagging and throwing his lungs out at any given minute, so nervous he looks.

So Max doesn’t go for the door. Yet. She basks in the enjoyment.

“Oh, is it a secret romance or something?” She sighs happily, leaning against the doorframe instead. “‘Cause you look pretty worried”

Steve’s banging the door now, voice wavering a little as he asks-shouts “Billy? Billy answer me! Hey, bab―Are you ok?”

“Max, please” Billy begs. Begs. Crawling over to where a Madonna’s Like a virgin is laying with the tape looping slightly out “He really can’t find out”

“What? That you’re in lo-o-oh-oh-OH―”

Billy stops at the tone, right there on his knees. Spits his forgotten cig to the side. And in the instant it seems to take him to make up his mind they both can hear Steve shout “Ok. I know you’re in there!. I’m coming in now!!”

“Fuck! Yeah. I am. Ok?” he looks like he just realized he’s tripped. Blushes. “Making it, I mean”

BAM!

And Ohhhhhhh.

Zero-fucking-zero-fucking-seven.

“Steve,” Max gasps. Because. Hear it makes it like. Easier. To process “You. And Steve”

B A M!

“Yeah, Max, Yeah. And this is a fucking surprise and he’s gonna―”

‘I've been waitin' for so long. For somethin' to arrive. For love to come along’

Ok. Oh. Okok.

“Door!” Max hastens him.

“What?”

“You. Door. Run!” She commands, and Billy― sometimes Max can’t honestly understand how he's got the grades he's got, because Billy blinks, looks clueless “C’mon slow ass. Hurry! I’ll hide all this shit”

And Billy finally gets it. Nods. Slow. Then fast. Stumbles up. Literally runs, to get to the door.

Max still gets to hear his labored “Fuck, pretty boy. “That was really hardcore of you. That's how bad you wanted to see me?” And Steve's own breathless “Really?” Before pushing Billy's room door close with her back, and kneeling on the floor to check for stray, incriminating cassettes.

Pretty boy. Maybe Max isn't as clever as she thought she is. Or hasn’t been doing her job right, clearly.

It's when she’s making ‘It’s a kind of magic’ disappear into the rest of the pile that she lays eyes on it. The case. The J-card written almost all the way down to the B-side already. A mixture of songs Billy's heard so many times there are parts where his tapes screech, and others she'd bet her life he wouldn’t have deigned to listen to. Not ever. Definitely not because―no, for, somebody. Bowie and Cher and Cindy Lauper and Bob Seger right next to Metallica and Guns n' Roses and Meatloaf and― there. There. Almost hidden in the back of the spine. A note. A tiny, thin-lettered thing Max really, really shouldn't be reading but―

‘Thanks for driving me back.

Love. Billy’

But. That's what little sisters do too, she guesses. Intrude. Annoy. Snoop. Feel this sudden rush of relief. Of happiness. When Billy laughs softly, on the other side of the door. When Steve laughs back. Maybe a tear. Or two. But just maybe. She’s really good at this little sister thing, after all.

Hopes for stellar.

,

or: that post s3 where steve lets a camaro-less billy drive him around in his own car "really? again, hargrove?" almost every single day, for months, after he comes back, because "you’re gonna perpetually stick yourself to my ass at least let me do the one thing that frikin’ calms me down" which results in steve resigning himself to deejaying in the shotgun even if "jesus, what's that shit, harrington?" "my car, my rules, sweetheart" which results in billy developing a ‘songs steve harrington is in love with’ mental playlist, realizing he’s probably a little bit in love with the way he loves them and, possibly, a little much love with steve and then stealing steve's tapes one day and,

making a mixtape about it.

(the first of a whole lot, of love letters)

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Happily Ever After - 7

The Tower: Happily Ever After An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist | Character Refrence PREVIOUS //

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

Word Count: 1915

Warnings:  Pregnancy

Synopsis: Almost 40 years after Elise Cooper first crashed into Natasha Romanoff outside the library at Columbia University, she and the Avengers are adapting to a near-immortal life together with their large brood of children.  Yet things aren’t perfect.  Life is moving on without them and they’re starting to discover who isolating being immortal can be.When Angela comes and asks Thor to take the throne of Asgard once more, the group leaves Earth in the hopes that they will find their Happily Ever After there.

Chapter 7: Welcome Home

We were taken to our respective living quarters in the palace.  It was such a vast building we had no concerns about it housing our now very large family.  Usually, we stayed in the wing Thor had built for us all those years ago, but it looked like things had changed now that Thor was stepping up as king.  Angela had already vacated the royal chambers and so while the kids were all taken to their new homes in different parts of the palace (Marya, Sarah, and Zak were all just down the hall from us, while the others were in different wings of the building), we were taken there.

Back when Thor had lived here - before Angela had taken the throne, the Royal chambers had been vast and opulent.  It appeared that Angela had made some changes.  There were five adjoining rooms and each was large and decorated in golds, blacks, and reds.  The first was a sitting area with large plush couches and a big coffee table.  Around the room were bookshelves, some were empty and some were stacked with books and tabletop games.

The room had a wide arched entryway into what was essentially a dining room.  A huge dark wood table filled the room and around it were enough chairs for all of us and a couple of the kids, though if we wanted a full family meal we would have to have it in the banquet hall.  To one end of the living room, there was a door that led to a study that contained a large, ornately carved desk, and to the other the bedroom.  A bathroom with an almost pool-sized bath could be entered from both the dining room and bedroom.

It was the bedroom that had blown me away.  When Thor had lived here, he had just had a large bed.  It was beautiful and bigger than a king, but not anything you wouldn’t expect the king of Asgard to have.  This was like nothing I’d ever seen before.  It was on a platform at the end of the room, with a large rug with Celtic-style knotwork leading from the door to the platform.  I say the bed was on a platform when the bed was the platform. The whole raised area was covered with a mattress that was dressed in blankets and pillows.  There was a staircase that led up to it, and the full size of the thing could have fit twenty people easily.

“Holy shit…” I gasped as we entered the room.  “This is the life.”

“My sister has made some renovations I see,” Thor chuckled.  “Well, at least we do not have to worry about obtaining a bed to fit us all.”

“We could marry a few more people if we wanted,” Clint joked.

“Oh?  You feel like you aren’t getting your needs met, bird boy?”  Tony teased.

“Bird man, thank you very much,” Clint joked.  “Wait… scratch that.  Just Clint is fine.”

Thor looked around as his servants brought in our things and began unpacking them.  “I think we shall keep the twins in here when they are born.  We can set up their cradles by the window there -” he pointed to a spot under a beautiful stained glass window in a Celtic knot pattern.

“The size of this bed we could probably co-sleep,” Sam said from up on the bed platform.  He kicked off his shoes and began jumping on the mattress like it was a trampoline.

“What will happen when they’re older?”  Wanda asked.

“Well my brother and I were raised by nannies,” Thor said.  “But I do not wish for that to be the case with our children.  We can convert the study to a bedroom for them.  Or I can have them add another room by either extending in the rooms beside these or breaking these rooms up a little.”

“This is going to be a lot of getting used to,” Steve said.

“Well, thankfully we have forever to do that,” Clint joked.

“My lord,” one of the handmaidens said, approaching Thor.  “We need to begin preparing you all for the feast.”

Thor gave a short nod.  “Of course.  Lead the way.”

We were all taken to be bathed and dressed and to have our hair and makeup done.  With all the trips to Asgard we’d made over the years we had become experts at it.  By the time we were all done we looked like Asgardian royalty.  Due to my now heavily pregnant state, I was in a pale blue empire cut dress that was made with layers of a fabric that was similar to satin, and one closer to chiffon.  I had a gold cord acting as a belt just above my baby bump and on my shoulders was a gold pauldron forged to resemble wings that wrapped around me from behind.  They had wound gold threads into my hair and I wore a gold diadem with a pale blue gem that sat on my forehead.

The whole family was dressed up too, not just me and my spouses.  The kids all wore finary too and so did the grandkids.  Seeing Paul, Teddy, and the little ones looking around in awe as we waited to be seated.  Anna seemed very pleased with the dress she was wearing and kept doing little spins to see if she could catch how the skirt billowed out around her, which made Piper do the same thing with her much more simple dress.  

Despite Marya being used to the Asgardian fashion, she was picking at her skirts and pulling the cloak she wore around herself.  I approached her as I could hear them starting to call people out into the hall, knowing I didn’t have a lot of time.  “Do you want to change?” I whispered.

“Kinda,” she said.  “It’s okay.  I just… I don’t really like dresses.”

“You didn’t have to wear one,” I assured her.

“That’s all they offered me,” she huffed.

“Honey,” I said rubbing her arm.  “You’re a princess.  Their job is to make you happy.  Just tell them you’d rather pants.  At Pietro’s first feast he wore a dress.  They’re not going to care if you don’t.”

“Oh…” she said.

“Do you want to go change?”  I asked.

She shook her head.  “It’s fine.”

“If you change your mind halfway through, that’s fine.  Loki will take you to change,” I assured you.

“Thanks, mom,” she said quietly.

“Of course, honey,” I said, taking her hand and squeezing it.  “Remember, we love you for who you are, not who you think we expect you to be.”

She smiled a little and gave a small nod.  Her name was called and she went out into the hall.  Gradually we were all called and took our seats.  It was an unusual seating arrangement this time due to the nearing coronation.  Angela, Thor, Loki, and Riley all sat on the raised platform where I had sat during our first feast.  Me, Steve, Bucky, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Tony, Sam, and Bruce all sat on a long table that ran just below it facing the room.  In front of us was a circular table with our children and grandchildren, to the right was a round table with a mixture of members of the royal council as well as, Heimdall, Sif, and the Warriors Three, and to the left was a table full of Valkyrie - all dressed in armor.  The rest of the citizens who had been granted entry to the feast were seated at circle tables that filled the rest of the hall.

Everyone stood as Angela was announced and when she reached her seat she gestured for everyone to sit.  “Welcome people of Asgard.  I know that these feasts to welcome the royal family when they visit from Midgard have started to become a little boring,” she said, making some of the people in the crowd laugh softly.  “But this time my brother and his clan have come to stay.  I shall be stepping down as your ruler, and Thor shall be returning to the throne.  He shall lead you until it is deemed that princess Riley is worthy of the title of Queen.  I can’t say I shall miss being Queen.  I hope I have done the right thing by all of you, the kingdom, and the nine realms, but ruling isn’t exactly glamorous work and I feel the need to roam and see the realms.  So I shall be leaving you in the capable hands of my brother.  We know Thor is both a good man and a good King and the transition between us should go without trouble.  Consider this the last feast with me as your leader.  Thor shall be crowned in two weeks’ time.”

There was applause but the cheers that accompanied them seemed mixed.  I could see that that might be because they weren’t sure to be happy about Thor’s arrival or sad about Angela’s departure.  When it died down again, Angela clapped her hands together.  “Let the feast begin!”

I knew this wouldn’t be the same as the first feast we had. The ones for our visits were always more low-key and just eating roasted meats and vegetables that were laden onto the table.  Large platters were brought out and placed onto tables and waiters came around with flagons of ale and wineskins filled with mead to fill goblets and tankards.  The children and I were brought layered fruit drinks that reminded me a little of elderberry cordial and lemonade.  A band at the far end of the hall started playing and the littlest kids at the table with my children had stood up on their chairs and were bouncing around to the rhythm as they ate their food.

“They look like they’re having fun,” Wanda said.

I smiled and took her hand under the table.  “They do,” I agreed.  “You think they’ll all be happy here?”

“Piper and Flynn won’t know anything else,” Wanda said and moved her hand to my stomach.  “And neither will these two.  This was the best move, Elly.  You can relax.”

I nodded a little and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“You know all this stress you’re holding is bad for the babies, Mishka,” Natasha scolded.

“I know.  I know.  But it’s stressful.  This is all stressful.  I’m trying to look at the positive, but it doesn’t change that it’s a lot to deal with,” I huffed.

Wanda nudged me and pointed up at the table above us.  “Look at our girl, the future Queen.  She belongs here.  She wasn’t raised here but this is her home.”

I turned and looked up at Riley.  She was wearing a dress in a blue ombre.  That had a belt that crossed over her hips and an ornate silver breastplate.  A red cape was attached at the shoulders and her hair was done up in a mountain of braids that had a curl of silver laurel leaves in it.  She was smiling and talking animatedly with Thor and the two of them together gave off an aura of people who were gentle at heart but protective and willing to do what needed to be done.  Not only that, Riley looked happy and comfortable with herself.  It made my heart warm.  I hoped that the rest of us would settle in as well as she and Pietro had done.  This would be our home for a long, long time.

// NEXT

[opaldraws]

Dandelion

Billy never thought that he would become a dad. Besides believing that it wouldn’t be possible for a person like him, he also was scared shitless. He’d seen first hand what happens when the wrong kind of person became a parent, he knew how screwed up things could get. He had this huge fear that he would ruin a kid’s life. And even though Steve had assured him countless times that Billy would be a fantastic dad if they were to have a kid, he also accepted that Billy wasn’t ready for fatherhood and he may never be. So Steve never pushed the idea.

Then Max had a baby.

Out of the pair, no one expected Billy would be the one hit with baby fever.

Max was only able to get three weeks of leave from her work, so Billy volunteered to help out with little Julien. Julien was precious: He slept for long hours and rarely cried, he loved playing peek-a-boo and was easily entertained by crinkly paper, and when he got especially fussy, all Billy had to do was put him in his swing and Julien would knock right out.

Billy would come home from Max and Lucas’ and gush to Steve about whatever him and Julien got up to that day. It was usually the same sort of stuff, babies don’t really do that much, but Steve would listen fondly to Billy’s report while they cooked dinner together. Eventually Max found a sitter and changed her work hours, so Billy didn’t spend as much time with the runt.

A few years passed and Billy mentioned having kids of their own. Steve and him were in bed, the light on the nightstand casting enough light for Billy to read but not too much that Steve couldn’t doze off.

“Steve.” Billy ruffled Steve’s hair gently, letting his hand wander down to rub his back. Steve blinked over at him sleepily, his eyes a little unfocused without his glasses.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, frowning.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just… I’ve been thinking lately, maybe we could look into adoption?” Billy wrung his hands together nervously. When Steve didn’t answer immediately, Billy interjected, “Only if you want to, of course! Fuck, nevermind. It’s stupid, I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”

Billy picked his book up, not able to look back at his partner. Steve hadn’t seen him this nervous since Billy had asked him to marry him. This conversation caught Steve off guard- and not only because he was half asleep. They’d talked about kids before when they were freshly married (technically unofficially, but whatever), Billy said he didn’t think he’d ever want to go down that path. And now, Billy was bringing it up.

“Babe, it’s not stupid.” Steve said seriously. “I want to do that with you.”

...

Adoption for two gay men in 2000 wasn’t easy. They were basically at the bottom of the ‘list’ of candidates and they’d been through multiple near adoptions that eventually fell through in just the past two years. Steve was beginning to lose hope, but Billy stayed determined. He called the adoption agency every week and he stopped by in person once a month. Steve told him he was probably bothering the agency, he said that they had their application and when the right kid came along, everything would work out. Billy’s perspective wasn’t quite as rose-colored as Steve’s: He realized that the agency didn’t want a same-sex couple adopting a baby. They may not outright say it, but he could tell. Billy wanted to show them that they were just as serious as any other couple.

In November of 2001, they got the call from the agency. The weekend before they brought their daughter home, Billy and Steve prepared the second bedroom for their new addition. Steve excitedly put up a fresh coat of paint while Billy struggled through assembling furniture for the bedroom. When they finished, they stood side by side in the doorway, misty eyed and excited for their daughter’s homecoming.

“We’re going to be parents.” Steve sighed, he let his head fall to Billy’s shoulder.

“Fuck, I’m so scared.” Billy admitted. He took a deep breath and tried to ease the panic creeping in. Steve gently wrapped his arms around him, pulling Billy in to hold him. Billy sagged into the hug.

“I am too, but I know it’s gonna be okay.” Steve said.

“How could you know that though?” Billy asked fearfully. So many things could go wrong, what if this was a mistake? Steve tightened his arms around Billy and leaned them against the doorframe.

“Because I know you. I’ve seen you grow into the man you are today and I know you’re going to be an amazing dad.”

...

Billy knew that for every developmental milestone that Abby passed, he should be excited. Don’t get him wrong, he was beyond happy to see his daughter growing and becoming a little person… but he also got sad? Abby was growing up so fast, one day she was crawling around on the carpet and the next she was racing around the apartment wreaking havoc. It felt like only a few days ago she drooled and needed to be spoon fed, now she was talking in barely formed sentences. Sometimes Billy would just curl up next to Steve in bed at night and have to cry about how big Abby was getting. Steve would rub his back, comforting his partner as best as he could. These breakdowns started happening more frequently as Abby’s 2nd birthday got nearer and nearer. Billy was aware that he was being dramatic, but his little girl was growing up way too fast. He felt like he was going to blink and then she’d be gone, old enough not to need her dads anymore.

“Billy, stop worrying about the future, Abby’s barely two! You have got to just live for today.” Max scolded him during one of Abby’s and Julien’s playdates after he had opened up to her. It was a sunny June day and Julien was happily keeping Abby occupied on a blanket in Lucas and Max’s yard. Lucas had been called out of town for a work emergency and Steve had gotten stuck covering a late shift. The step-siblings watched the kids from the porch, periodically bringing out new toys and snacks.

“Yeah, that’s what Steve keeps telling me. That’s what everyone keeps telling me, shitbird.” Billy huffed, rolling his eyes. “I can’t help it!”

“Listen to me, I felt the same way. Every time I had to go into work, every time I left Julien with you or Lucas, or the babysitter, I was so afraid that I was missing out on his childhood. Even when I was with him, all I could think about was how I could never get this moment back. But it’s useless to think that way! I realized that I couldn’t stop time from passing so I needed to enjoy it while it lasted!” Max insisted. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Billy squeezed back. Even though Max was younger than him, he appreciated the wisdom she occasionally provided. He was happy that their days of fighting and heated arguing were left behind at the house on Cherry Lane.

Billy looked out at the yard, he watched the way Abby would giggle when Julien ran circles around her with his toy airplane. She made grabby hands at him and squealed, “My turn!” Julien passed the toy plane to her and she zoomed it around. Max gave his shoulder a hard pat and announced that she was going to get food ready. Billy walked over to the rainbow blanket and sat down beside the duo.

“Daddy attack!” Abby jumped up, discarding the airplane to wrap her arms around his shoulders and climb onto his back. He held onto her chubby little legs and she laughed into his ear. He tried not to dwell on the future, let himself enjoy the moment. “Down.” Abby instructed him and he helped her back to the ground. She plucked a nearby dandelion from the ground and held it to Billy triumphantly. “Present for you.”

“Thank you baby, I love it.” He smiled at her, taking the dandelion. She beamed at him, clearly happy that her gift was well received. He tucked the yellow flower into the breast pocket of his shirt. Julien came bounding up to them excitedly, hiding something behind his back.

“I have a present for you too, Uncle Billy!” Julien grinned and offered him a wiggling pink worm clasped between his fingers. Billy chuckled and took the worm and Julien bounded off - probably to find more worms.

Abby went back to playing with the airplane and some of Julien’s matchbox cars. She pretended that Billy’s arm was the road and rolled the cars over it, back and forth. Every so often, she would show Billy a new car, telling him which color it was or if she liked it or not. Steve had been working on colors with her a lot recently, and Abby had gotten into the habit of pointing out the colors of things frequently. It was really adorable and she always looked proud when she got the color right. And when Billy would catch those intrusive thoughts about the future, he gave it his all not to dwell on them and instead focus on Abby rolling her car over his arm. Max rejoined them with a big plate of fruit and sandwiches to share for an early dinner, calling Julien over to eat.

Before Billy knew it, a few hours had passed and the sun was beginning to set. He helped Max bring all the toys back in the house and the kids savored the last few minutes of light while they cleaned up. Billy caught a glimpse of the clock on his trip inside; It was nearing 7pm and Steve would be arriving soon to pick them up. Billy and Max tried to coax the kids inside with the promise of a movie, but Julien had other ideas.

“Five more minutes? Please? Momma, I wanna see the fireflies!” Julien tugged at Max’s pant legs, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. “I promise I’ll be good for bedtime!” For a five year old, Julien was quite the negotiator. Of course Max caved which meant that Abby also got to chase the growing number of fireflies blinking around the yard. Billy couldn’t help but grin watching the cousins running around- and periodically jumping up- to try and catch the glowing bugs. After struggling to jump high enough to reach any of the fireflies, Abby pouted at Billy.

“Hold me?” She asked and how could Billy say no? He lifted her up in the air and she swung her little hands around, attempting to catch at least one bug. Billy could tell that she was getting frustrated when each time she came back fruitless. Abby got distracted by Julien showing Max all of the bugs he had captured, a faint green-ish yellow glow coming from his closed fists. “Daddy! Want one.” Abby’s chin wobbled - one of her tell tale signs that a meltdown was coming.

“Okay honey, I’ll get you one.” He smiled and moved her so that she was propped on his hip. They walked slowly around the yard together and Billy caught one for her. He helped her get it in her hand and her eyes widened. “Now you’ve got to be real careful, you don’t want to squish it right?” Abby shook her head no, wanting to keep her new friend forever. Billy watched the way she would peek into her fist to catch a glimpse of the small bug, finding it sweet how gentle she treated it. She kissed the top of her hand and said “I love you” to the tiny insect hidden within. Billy was so transfixed with her that he didn’t notice Steve’s arrival; It startled him when a hand met the small of his back. Abby lit up even more once she saw Steve.

“Papa look! Bug!” She opened up her hand to show Steve the bug, but the firefly took the opportunity to make its escape and flew off into the night sky before Abby could close her hand. She gasped and tried to reach for it in a futile attempt. Here comes the meltdown... or so Billy thought.

“Oh Abby, it was such a beautiful firefly! Looked like it was a really good flyer too huh?” Steve smiled and Abby only pouted a little. “Now it’s going to go home and tell all of its friends about you. And we gotta go home too sweetheart, it’s getting pretty late. Let’s say bye to Julien and Aunt Max, okay?” Steve was great at de-escalating a situation, he always knew exactly the right thing to say to stop Abby’s tears. Billy put Abby back down on her feet so that she could go over to Max and Julian to say goodbye. Steve turned to Billy and gave him a quick peck on the lips before taking his hand and walking them over to the trio waiting for them.

“Seems like you were able to get out of your head today, I’m glad.” Max said to Billy during their hug.

Once their farewells were said and done and they were all loaded up into Steve’s car, the small family made the short drive back home. Steve’s hand rested over Billy’s atop his thigh, periodically giving it a light, reassuring squeeze.

Back home, Steve carried a sleepy Abby in from the car and straight to her bed (he hated for her to miss brushing her teeth, but made an exception because of the long day she had had). While Steve helped Abby get settled in, Billy headed into their bedroom. He picked one of the heavier hardcover books off the bookshelf and pulled the dandelion out of his pocket. He tucked the wilting flower between the pages, saving it so that he could remember the day. Steve came into the bedroom as he was reshelving the book, he walked straight to Billy and wrapped his arms around him.

“Had a good day?” Steve asked. Billy twisted in his grip, turning to face Steve. They shared a few slow kisses, with no intention to escalate, only to be in each other’s space after being apart for the day. Billy pulled back, hands still holding onto Steve’s waist securely.

“Yeah, it was really good.” He smiled. Sure Abby was growing up, but they had so many years ahead of them, so many warm summer days just like this one. Although Billy didn’t expect he could completely quell his anxieties about the future, he was ready to start enjoying the moments as they happened.

[cherienymphe]

Unhappily Married (Steve Rogers x Reader)

WARNINGS: eventual NON-CON, dad!Steve, age gap (reader is a 20 something college student so that could range from undergraduate to graduate and Steve is late 30s), slight college!Peter x reader

summary: your dream job becomes a nightmare when your employers reveal their true colors.

~

“Oh, Y/N, you are a Godsend!”

You chuckled as you handed the stuffed dinosaur to her, Nathan’s cries immediately quieting. It was his favorite toy, and had you known she’d been looking for it for the past five minutes, you would have come downstairs sooner.

“I’m really not, Mrs. Rogers. He was playing with it earlier,” you said with a small smile.

The gorgeous blonde playfully narrowed her eyes at you as she adjusted the cherubic little boy on her hip.

“How many times have I told you to call me Sharon, Y/N?”

“Too many to count,” you admitted, grabbing your bag from the sofa as she walked you out of the house.

“One day you’ll listen, and I won’t have to remind you anymore,” she sighed.

She glanced around with a small frown.

“It looks like Peter is running a little late,” she noted.

“His psychology professor has a habit of talking past his allotted time,” you complained, rolling your eyes. “Normally he’s able to come up with some excuse to slip out, but I don’t think he got lucky today.”

“Oh, I hated that. I tell you, I do not miss college. Roommates, struggling for money, professors who took their jobs a little too seriously,” she shuddered. “How are your classes going? You’re still studying history, right?”

“Mm hmm. It’s going great, actually. I might have an opportunity to study abroad next semester,” you whispered, Mrs. Rogers being the first person you told the news too.

“Oh, how exciting! You’ll let us know if you get it, won’t you? We’ll have to throw a party. Steve,” she called, turning towards the garage.

There was a brief moment of silence before the equally beautiful blond exited the garage. The snug white tee he sported was stained with dirt and grime. He dusted his hands off before placing them on his hips, gazing at the both of you on the front porch.

“We might have to find a new sitter for Nathan next semester. Y/N might be studying abroad in a few months,” she excitedly told him.

His lips curved upwards into a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes for some reason. You didn’t think anything of it. You noticed that things that often excited Mrs. Rogers rarely had the same affect on her husband. You didn’t know much about his job, but you got the impression that he was usually stressed about something or another despite how well he hid it.

“Is that so”

“She could be leaving us,” she replied with a pout. “…but it’s such a great opportunity. Everyone should get the chance to explore the world.”

“Sharon’s right,” Mr. Rogers said, approaching the both of you, blue eyes focused on you. “There’s no greater teacher than experience.”

You barked a laugh.

“You sound like Peter, Mr. Rogers.”

He heaved a sigh, throwing a playful smirk your way.

“When are you going to start calling me Steve, Y/N?”

“It’s useless, sweetheart. I’ve told her a million times to call me Sharon, and we keep having the same conversation. She’s making me feel like an old maid, and I haven’t even hit 40 yet,” she teased, sighing. “Peter’s really late it seems.”

“Yeah,” you agreed with a frown.

“I could take her home, Sharon,” her husband offered.

She hesitated, and so did you. Peter was probably already on his way, and the two of you lived together anyway. It would be inconvenient for them if Mr. Rogers drove you home.

“You might have to,” she murmured. “It’s getting late, and Nathan will have to be put to bed soon. I really don’t want to leave you out here, Y/N-.”

She cut herself off as headlights could be seen turning into the long driveway.

“That’s really nice of you guys, but looks like Peter finally made it,” you said with a chuckle, waving to them as you descended the steps.

“I’m so, so sorry I’m late,” were the first words Peter rushed out when you slid into the passenger seat.

He rolled down the window as soon as you shut the door.

“You’re lucky, Peter! Steve was just about to take Y/N home,” Mrs. Rogers yelled.

Peter chuckled, but something was off about it.

“Sorry for being so late. Mr. Harrington was in a weird mood, tonight,” he yelled back.

The two of you waved them goodbye as Peter turned the car around.

“So what did he do, tonight?”

Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“A pop quiz…after the lecture,” he said with a shake of his head.

“You’re always surprised by his antics.”

“I know, I know, and I shouldn’t be. That’s the crazy part. This was so on brand for him,” he mumbled.

“Hey, it’s no big deal. Besides, if you can’t ever get me for whatever reason, at least we know Mr. Rogers will take me home,” you replied, reaching over to play with his hair.

He snorted, but otherwise didn’t respond to that, and you frowned.

“What? What was that about?”

He chuckled, a crooked grin on his lips as he shook his head.

“Nothing.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, not liking his tone. You turned in your seat to face him.

“What?”

“I bet Mr. Rogers would have no problem driving you home,” he teased, a smirk on his pink lips.

You stared at him, unamused.

“You’re so not funny, Peter-.”

“Oh, come on! He’s got a crush on you, you have to know that,” he interrupted.

“He’s married,” you cried in disbelief. “Besides, how could he ever have a crush on me? I dress like a hobo without makeup on around him. Plus, he hardly talks to me.”

“Probably to restrain himself,” he whispered.

Peter laughed when you hit his arm.

“I’m just kidding…sort of.”

“Peter!”

“I mean, who could blame him? You’re too adorable,” he said, reaching over to place his hand on your thigh. “…but you’re mine.”

You grabbed his hand, intertwining your fingers together as you glared at him.

“Mr. Rogers is a happily married man-.”

“…and you’re his adorable 20 something babysitter who’s great with his son.”

You eyed him, eyebrows furrowing a bit at the way he scoffed that out.

“Peter…you are joking…right?”

He suddenly sighed, stopping at a red light.

“Yeah…sort of. I don’t know,” he groaned. “It’s silly.”

“Hey…nothing is silly if it’s bothering you…”

“It just seems like he really likes you, and I know that he’s your employer and it’s probably nothing more than an employer being pleased with his employee, but he’s good looking and older and-.”

“And happily married,” you reminded him. “…and I’m happily with you.”

You leaned closer, nose brushing his cheek.

“Peter, there’s no need to be jealous of Steve,” you whispered.

“I’m not jealous,” he mumbled.

You chuckled, kissing his cheek before leaning back.

“You are, but its okay,” you said, turning the radio up.

 ~

“You’re serious?”

Peter’s eyes were wide and searching, and you nodded with a huge grin on your face.

“I wanted to wait until it was confirmed to tell you, and now it is. I’m going to Europe next semester for 4 months,” you repeated.

Peter laughed.

“That’s…amazing!”

He pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in the crook of your neck as you wrapped your arms around him. The mall was loud, and hardly anyone paid any attention to your display. He pulled away from you to press a soft kiss to your lips just as his name was called.

“Oh, that’s our food,” you said, pushing him towards the counter.

He chuckled, rushing to get it just as you heard your own name being called.

“Y/N?”

You turned, eyes widening a bit as they connected with a familiar gaze.

“Mrs. Rogers, hi!”

She pulled you into a brief hug, pulling away with a small pout.

“Y/N, we’ve been through this a thousand times,” she complained.

“Sorry,” you sheepishly replied. “One day. One day, I promise.”

She waved you off, stepping back to get a good look at you.

“Wow! I almost didn’t recognize you,” she chuckled. “You look so different outside of work.”

You glanced down, brows furrowing just a bit as you took in your summer dress.

“I guess…yeah. Peter and I are just enjoying our free day,” you replied, pointing over your shoulder just as the brunette came up behind you.

“Hi, Mrs. Rogers!”

“Hello, Peter. Ugh, you two are so adorable. I was just saying hi to Y/N. I know we only go two days without seeing her a week, but it feels like forever,” she said.

“She’s exaggerating,” you told him.

“No, I mean it! She’s a Godsend. The house is so different without her around. Nathan misses you like crazy,” she confessed.

Her tone threw you off, and you didn’t exactly know how to respond to that.

“He’s right over there actually. Steve too! We’re here with some friends, would you like to come say hi?”

“We…could. We just got our food…”

“Yeah, we can tell them the great news too,” Peter threw in from behind you.

Sharon’s eyes widened in wonder, and you felt your face get hot as Peter rubbed your arms.

“What news?”

“I’m going to Europe next semester,” you slowly replied.

Her mouth parted, face lighting up as she laughed.

“So its…confirmed then? The opportunity went through?”

You nodded.

“Oh, this is wonderful news! Now, you have to come over,” she pushed, grabbing your arm and dragging you across the food court.

Peter followed, and you grew nervous as you approached the table full of strangers. You caught Mr. Rogers’ eye, and noticed the way they widened slightly at you. You looked away, smiling at the unfamiliar faces.

“Guys, this is our babysitter, Y/N, and her boyfriend, Peter.”

Everyone introduced themselves, and the two of you did the same.

“They were just telling me about some wonderful news,” Mrs. Rogers said, reaching over to pluck Nathan from his stroller.

“I’m just studying abroad next semester,” you said, downplaying it as you waved at Nathan.

The table broke out in cheers and congratulations. Your smile was shy, uncomfortable with all of the attention, and sensing it, Peter wrapped an arm around your waist. You caught Mr. Rogers’ eye again, having felt his gaze on you, and you swallowed at the unreadable expression on his face. You wondered if your discomfort was visible, because he suddenly smiled at you, a familiar sight that eased you.

“So where exactly are you studying?” a dark-haired man with facial hair asked.

If you remembered correctly, he introduced himself as Tony.

“Rome,” you answered.

He straightened in his seat, pointing a finger, and everyone else at the table groaned.

“You know, I’ve been to Rome and-.”

“Oh, Tony, give it a rest. She’s going there to enjoy herself, not to hop on the next money-making scheme,” a strawberry blonde woman interrupted.

She was his wife, you remembered.

He raised his hands in mock surrender, and Mrs. Rogers rolled her eyes.

“We’ve kept the two of you long enough. I’m glad we ran into you today.”

“Me too,” you honestly replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You and Peter waved them goodbye, your gaze lingering a bit as Mr. Rogers didn’t wave back, opting instead for raising his glass at you. You turned with a small frown, wondering if something seemed off about him today, or if it was just you.

 ~

The door flew open just as you raised your hand to knock. You took a step back in surprise but smiled nonetheless as your eyes met familiar dark ones. Your smile fell a little when Mrs. Rogers didn’t return it, and you hesitantly stepped inside when she eventually moved to the side.

“Nathan has been put down for his nap. I should be gone for the next five hours at the most,” she said, shutting the door.

“Oh, okay. I can just do some schoolwork then while I wait for him to wake up.”

That was strange. Nathan was normally up and at em whenever you came over. She didn’t reply as you set your bag down beside the couch, and you turned to face her. Her gaze was sharp, and you were growing a bit uncomfortable.

“Unless…there’s something else you want me to do? I can make some meal plans for-.”

“No,” she harshly cut you off, and you flinched. “That won’t be necessary. I can make food for my son just fine.”

You frowned slightly before swallowing.

“Um okay. Is there anything else you want me to do while you’re gone?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at you.

“No. Why do you ask? Is there anything you do for Steve while I’m gone?”

You blinked, rearing back a bit.

“I… I’m sorry?”

She huffed, snatching her purse from its place on the lavish couch, eyes venomous as she gazed at you.

“Mrs. Rogers… Is something wrong?”

“Are you sleeping with Steve?” she demanded.

Your eyes widened, comically so as her words hit you like a truck. Confusion and shock filled you. Had you heard her wrong?

“What?” you gasped.

She approached you, chest heaving.

“You heard me. Are you fucking my husband?”

The question came out slow but forceful, and you frantically shook your head.

“N-no! No! Of course not,” you yelled. “Why would you ask me that?”

She reached into her purse, yanking out a small scrap of fabric before shoving them in your face.

“No? Then what the hell is this?”

She dropped it in your hand, and if possible, your eyes widened even further as you realized it was…underwear. They were black and lacey and flimsy…and they weren’t yours. You swallowed, holding them up by two fingers, touching as little fabric as possible as you slowly looked up at her. If looks could kill, you would be six feet under.

Her face lost some of its tension at the sympathetic look on yours, and you sighed as you held them out to her.

“Mrs. Rogers, these… These aren’t mine,” you whispered.

She swallowed, reaching out with a shaky hand to take them back from you. She clenched them in her fist, lips trembling as she looked away.

“Mrs. Rogers…”

She stumbled back, falling to sit on the couch as she stared at the wall in front of her. The house was quiet, and you didn’t know what to say as she just…stared. You were coming to terms with what was happening, and you didn’t know how to feel.

Mr. Rogers was…the perfect husband. He absolutely doted on Sharon…like a queen. You often found yourself wondering if you and Peter would have what they had one day. It was silly, you knew that, but Sharon and Steve were the perfect couple. They were happily married, for Christ’s sake, so you were having the most difficult time coming to grips with the fact that he could do something like this.

And yet…

The evidence was right there for the both of you to see. After all, there were only so many explanations that could explain that. You took a step towards her.

“Sharon.”

She slowly looked up at you, eyes glistening with tears.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” and you meant it.

You were sorry.

She sniffed.

“No, um… I uh…I’m sorry,” she replied. “I should have known that you would never… You’ve never once given a hint that you would…”

“Mrs. Rogers, you have nothing to apologize for. I mean, if I was in your shoes, I would go straight to the babysitter too,” you chuckled.

She joined you, slowly standing as she wiped her face.

“No. There’s no excuse for coming to you in such a manner. I let my own insecurities cloud my judgement,” she began.

She stuffed the damning evidence back in her purse before looking at you.

“I see how he looks at you, sometimes, and my mind ran wild with it.”

You frowned in confusion, and she chuckled at that.

“Of course, you have no idea what I’m talking about. How lucky you and Peter are to be so wrapped up in each other,” she mused.

You were even more confused, but you brushed it off.

“Is there anything I can do?”

She heaved a tired sigh, and she suddenly looked as if she’d aged 5 years in the span of 5 minutes.

“Just what you’ve always done; your job. You do it so well and Nathan loves you and… I have a feeling that we’re going to need you around a lot more. Nathan will need some stability,” she honestly replied with a shrug.

You looked down and nodded. You watched as she left, mind whirling with what all of this meant.

You made your way into the kitchen with a sigh, wondering how Mr. Rogers could do such a thing. You weren’t stupid. Steve Rogers was an attractive man, almost criminally so, so you knew that he must have dozens of women throwing themselves at him on a regular basis. However, you saw the way he looked at his wife. You thought he was devoted to her in every way.

You looked down, playing with your fingers with a frown. As silly as it was, part of you felt…disappointed. You had thought that Mr. Rogers was better than that. This diminished him in your eyes, and you started to wonder if you ever knew him, at all.

 ~

“No, Peter. Neither one of them have come home yet. I can’t leave,” you worriedly said, peeking out of the window.

The rain was really coming down, now, and your anxiety grew.

“Y/N, a storm is coming in, tonight. If I don’t come get you, now, I don’t think I’ll be able to,” Peter said over the phone, frantic.

“I know, I know, and I wouldn’t ask you to. I’ll figure something out, but I can’t leave, and I’m not just going to take Nathan. One of them will be here soon.”

He heaved a sigh.

“Alright. I love you…”

“I love you too. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said, hanging up the phone.

You had just turned away to go check on Nathan when you heard keys in the door. You sighed in relief, a greeting on your lips when you stopped short. Mr. Rogers stepped through the door, and you didn’t know what to say as he shut it behind him.

His blue eyes focused in on you, eyebrows furrowing a bit when you didn’t speak.

“What is it?” he softly asked.

He looked the same and sounded the same, but he wasn’t the same. To be perfectly honest, you were hoping that his wife would be back before him. You were…disgusted by him.

“Mrs. Rogers isn’t back yet.”

His frown deepened, reaching into his pocket to grab his cell phone.

“What do you mean she isn’t back yet?”

“When she left, she said she’d be gone for five hours at the max, but…that was eight hours ago.”

He brushed past you, pressing his phone to his ear. You went to grab Nathan just as he stirred, shushing him as you rocked him on your hip. You looked over your shoulder with wide eyes, heart skipping a beat at the harsh hushed whispers coming from the kitchen.

You wanted to get closer, but it was none of your business. You instead wondered on how you were going to get home. You heard him step back into the living room, and you looked up as he approached you. You let him take Nathan from your hands, jerking them back when his fingers lingered on yours.

“Well?”

“Sharon isn’t coming back, tonight,” he sighed.

“What? Why?”

“Who knows? She’s always loved the dramatics,” he threw out, ascending the stairs and gesturing for you to follow.

You frowned at him, not liking the way he spoke about her, but followed, nonetheless.

“There’s no way anyone can drive in that,” he said, facing you. “You’ll have to stay the night.”

You blanched on the inside, but you knew it was coming. Before, you wouldn’t have minded. However, after learning what you did about him, you didn’t like the idea of being stuck in a house with him all night. He wasn’t who you thought he was.

“Okay. I can put Nathan down before I-.”

“It’s fine, Y/N. I can put him down. I haven’t done so in a while,” he said, throwing you a small smile.

You forced one in return, walking towards the linen closet.

“Um…should I get someone of Mrs. Rogers’ or-?”

“I’ll leave something in the guest room for you to sleep in,” he said.

You nodded, looking over your shoulder as he brushed past you.

 ~

You gripped your towel to you, reaching out to grab the clothes left on the guest bed when the door opened. You yelped in surprise, eyes wide as Mr. Rogers stepped into the room. You took a step back, eyeing him in confusion.

“I just wanted to thank you for tonight.”

“Oh. It was no problem,” you quietly replied.

He shook his head as he stepped closer, and you tightened the towel around you.

“No. It was a problem. Sharon was supposed to come back, tonight and she didn’t. That was irresponsible and inconsiderate of her. You have a life just like she does, and she had an obligation to be here to be with her son,” he said, voice hard as he eyed you.

He had an obligation to be faithful to his wife, you found yourself thinking.

“Mr. Rogers, really, it’s fine. She’s upset, I understand-.”

“Upset,” he wondered.

You slammed your mouth shut as he crossed his arms over his chest with a soft scoff, running his eyes over you as he studied you. He tilted his head to the side.

“How do you know she’s upset?”

“What I meant was, she seemed kind of upset before she left,” you corrected yourself.

“Did she now?”

“I don’t know what about, but she just seemed really bothered by something. She left in a hurry,” you lied.

His gaze was unreadable as he took in your words, and you found yourself feeling uncomfortable at his close proximity and your state of undress. He eventually nodded, taking a step back. He turned and made his way to the door, laying his hand on it as he turned to look at you.

“Whatever she’s upset about isn’t an excuse to leave you here to take care of our son hours after you’re supposed to,” he angrily said.

You swallowed at his tone, fighting to hold his gaze.

“Thank you for being patient and waiting. You’ve been a blessing to us this past year, and I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

You nodded, eyeing the door when he closed it before eventually walking towards it. You pressed your ear against it, noting that a few moments had passed before you eventually heard him walking away. You turned the lock, dropping your towel as you eyed the clothes on the bed.

You frowned as you realized that none of these belonged to Mrs. Rogers. The shirt was entirely too big, and you knew for a fact that she didn’t wear boxers. You didn’t feel comfortable wearing her husband’s clothes to bed, but you didn’t have a choice. It was either that or sleep naked.

You pulled them on, anyway, wondering why he didn’t just give you something of his wife’s.

 ~

As the storm raged on outside of the window, you found yourself tossing and turning. The conversation you had earlier with Sharon was plaguing your thoughts. Even worse, Mr. Rogers’ strange behavior wasn’t helping things. Sleep was eluding you, and you found yourself wanting to call Peter, but he was probably asleep.

You considered going downstairs to get something to drink, and eventually decided on doing that. You threw the covers back, preparing to get out of bed when a noise stopped you. The floor outside of the guest room creaked, and you frowned.

You slowly got up, keeping quiet as you approached the door. You stared at it in confusion before your eyes widened at the jiggling doorknob. Your heart pounded in your chest as you realized someone was trying to come into the room. Although, there were only two people in the house able to open a door.

Mr. Rogers was trying to come into your room. You watched the knob twist and jiggle a couple more times before it eventually stopped. You heard him walk away, and you decided against that glass of water as you got back into bed.

 ~

tags: @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​ @kellyn1604​ @mcudarklibrary​ @darkficreposter​ @villanellevi​ @xoxabs88xox​ @harringtonsblackgf​ @sebabestianstan101​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @opheliadawnwalker3​

[karimac]

…in the details, Part 3

A/N: Warning for this series: 18+ audience (minors DNI), some cinematic level violence, some fluff and angst. Doubt that smut will be involved, but it may be implied. I’ll make sure that is noted clearly if it pops up.

All relationships, at this point anyway, are platonic.

Please do not repost or translate my work. Likes, comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

A bit about the OC Kari

Part 1

Part 2

All mistakes are my own.

Word count: 3,556

Well, that was not exactly the best idea, was it?

Dr. Darcy Lewis, unlike her colleague, Dr. Erik Selvig, was not a big fan nor an authority on any form of mythology. And the Irish history ask was a longshot at best.

So, here you were, in the coffee shop smack dab in the middle of Westview, talking to Dr. Lewis and getting nowhere fast.

“And, that’s not happening,” the astrophysicist grumbled as she set down her phone and took another sip of her beverage. It was some weirdly sweet concoction that looked like what humans thought rainbow-colored unicorn poop looked like. This world was not ready for what real magical beasts looked like. Most authors had not gotten all of that right in their books. No surprise there. No human really needed to see such things on a daily basis, and whoever had been the muses for those authors had covered up a lot.

“I take it Dr. Selvig has no clue on the Celtic Pantheon?” you asked as you sipped your very boring, light, non-sweet hot coffee. The barista probably wanted to laugh when you ordered it, but he did his best to stifle his snicker. “It was a very long reach on my part, Dr. Lewis. I’m sorry I roped you into this.”

“You can call me Darcy because you actually acknowledge my academic status,” the brunette said as she flipped her phone over again. “So, Thor is off in space. You don’t want me calling Falcon or his pal with the metal arm. Captain Marvel isn’t on your contact list. Ant Man and The Wasp? They can be sort of science geeks, right? Wait. Banner? Is he OK to call?”

Before you could open your mouth, Darcy was texting Banner off her own phone. “You know Bruce?”

“I met him at some meet and greet at MIT before the world went poof,” Darcy replied as she set her phone back down and seemed to be praying Banner would actually return her text. “Stark was there, too, but Banner was the one I got coffee with. Sweet guy, you know, even if he gets all green sometimes.”

As you sipped your coffee, you noticed a few people giving you odd looks. It made you very nervous. “Maybe we should finish up and get back on the road?” you asked Darcy as you quietly motioned toward the other patrons getting their daily fix of caffeine.

“Yeah, bubbe isn’t answering me anyway,” Darcy said as she picked up her phone and got up from her chair. By now there were several residents blocking the exit. “What is your problem? We paid. We’re busing our table. Then we’re leaving.”

“Are The Avengers going to hunt her down?” one woman in the back of the group asked as Darcy looked back toward you and mouthed the word “Help” before turning back to the crowd. The questioner was loud, but you couldn’t see her because of the big delivery man standing in front of her with a huge pile of Amazon packages. “Why did you come back?”

It was time to vamp. With an apparently faulty memory, this was going to be interesting.

“Before you all ask about what is going to happen regarding Wanda Maximoff, I want you all to know I have no authority to speak for The Avengers. I have never been a true member of the team. I helped them at a time when things were beyond bleak for this world. It was an honor and a privilege. But I am not a spokesperson. I am not a team leader.”

“Then why did you come here?” a man with glasses, holding a briefcase, asked from the line where he was waiting for his order. “Then and now?”

“I came the first time because I was looking for my friend. I was pulled into that nightmare just like you were. I wish I had been able to help her before any of this happened.”

“But you have powers, right? Couldn’t you have shut her down, hot stuff?” the first woman added as she moved to the front. Then you recognized her. Agatha Harkness. If Wanda kept her alive, there was a reason for it, and all the pain you had rising in your core had to be tamped down fast. Harkness had hurt Wanda, and that would have to be addressed one day. You were good at playing the long game.

“Taking her out in any sort of power stunt could have jeopardized your lives. I was not sure what she did to make it all happen, and I was not going to risk your lives. I’m sorry it wasn’t put to an end sooner. Now, if you will excuse us, we need to get to a meeting regarding the incident here,” you said as you and Darcy pushed through the crowd and back out to the street.

“OK, what was all that? Spin? Or are you remembering something?” Darcy asked as you got back into her car. You had left your rental on the outskirts of town. Better to travel as a unit until your business here was concluded.

“I remember a couple of things from that mess,” you said as you tried to keep your hands from shaking. “I remember Wanda and Vision’s sons. Billy and Tommy. I remember the house where I lived. Can we drive out to where Wanda had her house? Maybe that will help?”

Darcy pulled out of the parking space and made the lefts and rights to the lot where Wanda’s house had been. The one you were living in was in a lot right next to it. It was empty now, too, but you got out of the car anyway and stood in the center of the patch of dirt. You closed your eyes and held your breath as you tried to piece together what had happened. And then you started to cry as you fell to your knees.

“Whoa, slow down,” Darcy said as she ran and knelt beside you. “What did you see?”

“It’s weird. Wanda came over one day and more or less apologized to me because she couldn’t give me my real happy ending. I can show you, if you’ll let me…”

“Go into my mind?” Darcy protested before you could wave her off the idea. “No Vulcan mind melds for me today, thanks.”

“No, I carry this mirror, and you can see memories in it. Trust me, I do not use telepathy as a first line of anything. I tried it once, to help a friend, but it just caused more problems,” you groaned as you pulled the mirror out of your backpack. You waved your hand over it, and Darcy could now see what had happened with Wanda.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find them and bring them here,” the Sokovian said quietly as she walked around the 1980s version of what was your living room. It was way too pastel for your liking, but the hints of fuchsia, orchid and teal in the overall cream and light gray design weren’t so bad. You had a couple of cats there with you. One was an orange tabby with a penchant for eating tuna at any given moment. He was warm and affectionate and just a ray of sunshine dressed in fur. The other was as white as the driven snow, but his own cuddly disposition came through. He was the one who would leave you weird gifts every morning. Rocks, feathers, and yes, the occasional dead mouse would be at the foot of your bed each sunrise. You’d find out at the end of that nightmare that the cats were only constructs of Wanda’s chaos magic.

“I know you miss the three of them,” she continued as she pointed to a framed picture of Steve, Bucky and Sam, all decked out in appropriate 1980s clothes that made them look like they ran away from some cop drama. “It’s probably better that there aren’t too many Avengers here anyway. Vis is getting concerned. And this way, well, no one needs to know which one you would have chosen. I know. You know. So you can always talk to me. Like we did before. But I gave you the wedding ring to make sure no one came on to you. Just in case I can get him here soon.”

As you showed Darcy the memory, a tiny part of you was screaming that this whole scenario seemed wrong. You watched Wanda’s crimson glow float around you as she spoke. You vaguely remembered The Morrigan trying to kick some sense back into your addled brain, but Wanda’s world was much too enticing to let your other self come to the fore. You wanted the damned happily ever after with the husband and the house and everything that meant in the modern American ethos. You had rationalized things for years in such a way that you’d never let yourself get it. That was why no one was here to hug you at night like Wanda had Vision. Maybe that fact alone was enough to crack Wanda’s hold on you a bit more than she realized?

But you also had to admit that you wanted to be there for Wanda in case things went south. That much was clear from the moment you showed up in Westview the first time.

“How come you didn’t just zap her? Fight back?” Darcy asked as you fully shifted to the present day and paused the memory.

“Because she wasn’t wrong. I did miss Bucky, Steve and Sam. I missed Banner, too, because they were, in the end, the ones still here that cared if I lived or died. And Spider-Man. Which is random and weird, but he did. And frankly, what I said in the coffee shop was true. I had no idea what my powers would do to her spell. I could have leveled the town. That was not an option.”

“So, that Agatha woman…” Darcy started to say and then stopped. “Wait. That was her? In the coffee shop? That was why you were acting so weird?”

“Yeah. Wanda could have killed her or taken Agatha away with her to imprison her. She didn’t. After what Agatha tried to do to Wanda, to try and take her powers, Wanda had every right to finish her off. But Wanda doesn’t likely know all that yet. There are rules set up from ages ago. Things witches can and can’t do to each other under specific circumstances. So Wanda left her trapped here—for now anyway. But, whatever happened with them, it affected me, too. I got hit with stray magic blasts. I’m betting it messed up my powers in ways I didn’t realize. And maybe my memories as well.”

As Darcy knelt there, her phone finally chimed. It was some weird little R2-D2 chirpy beep, and she looked elated as she showed you the message. “Seems Bruce still cares if you are OK or not. I don’t think bringing him here is such a great idea…”

“Did anyone send him data about what happened here?” you asked as you got to your feet, pocketing some of the dirt from the lot before you stood up. “Air and soil samples? Readings from the residents?”

“I can get them for him. Trust me, Jimmy Woo and Monica Rambeau would be more than happy to help. I’m glad that loon Hayward seems to have gone into hiding or was hauled away to The Raft,” Darcy noted as she checked her phone again. “Seems the doc is working out of a Stark lab here in Jersey. Road trip?”

You really didn’t want to go see Bruce. You had no idea how you’d explain any of what you did to him.

++++++++++

You rehearsed what you planned to tell Bruce a million times in your mind as Darcy drove along the Garden State Parkway to a place called Woodcliff Lake. Stark Industries did indeed have a lab there, and it made you want to scream as you walked into the facility. You did not need yet another reminder that you could not save Tony Stark’s life at the end of that final battle with Thanos. That was part of why you were in this mess in the first place. It was also why you had a screaming fight with Stephen Strange, but no one else knew about that yet.

“Dr. Banner? We’re here!” Darcy yelled as you walked toward what had to be the research wing. The lack of security in the place was a bit disturbing, but then again, there were probably booby traps built into every square inch of the place. You could just hear Tony now as you got closer to the lab area. It would likely have been close to the speech you got the first time he talked to you at the compound.

“Hey! Lucky Charms! Don’t touch any of the expensive stuff. I guess that means don’t touch anything. I still have no idea why you are hanging around the team except that Steve wants you here for some reason. Maybe you’re tied to…his friend…and I just don’t want to face that? Still have issues with all of that, even if the man is dead. Pepper and Morgan said I should be nice to you, but I’m not quite there yet after what happened in Berlin. They are better people than I’ll ever be.”

“Earth to Kari?” you finally heard Bruce say as he waved his massive green hand in front of your face. Then he realized why you were likely spacing out. "Dr. Lewis, can we have a minute?”

“You can call me Darcy, if I can call you Bruce?” Lewis said as Banner nodded to her. “Cool. I’ll go find the little scientist’s room and be right back,” she added as she left the lab.

“So,” Bruce started as he pointed you toward a set of chairs at one side of the lab, “Darcy filled me in via text. I have no idea what happened with Wanda, and I know none of us know where she is. I did call a friend who wants to help,” he noted as a swirling circle of yellow light formed near the window that looked out over the parking lot. “I figured you’d listen to him, and he knows more about this stuff than I do.”

“What did you do?” Wong shouted as he exited the portal. “You usually listen to reason. Why did you go after Wanda all alone?”

“I went to help Wanda. She was hurting. She watched Vision die twice. She lost Pietro. I can relate to all that very, very well. My twin Branan died in front of my eyes, too, and I’ve buried two husbands. Both died in battle. I just wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. But she…she hit all my vulnerable points. And she was under attack at the same time. From a woman named Agatha Harkness and from the director of SWORD. Some martinet named Hayward. He built another Vision. I think Hayward was using Wanda’s powers to bring him to life. Darcy is going to check in with some of the people who worked with her to get you more intel, Bruce.”

“Another version of Vision? Great,” Bruce muttered as he looked over at Wong. “As for this Harkness person…”

“The name rings very small bells, so I’ll need to do some research,” Wong noted as you bumped your left fist against your forehead. “What?”

“Harkness is a succubus. And she is old. Not as old as I am, but she is still a good 400 years old, give or take a day. She apparently survived the Salem Witch Trials. Wanda spelled her and left her in Westview. I think she is, at least in small ways, aware that her world is all wrong. I didn’t want to press it when I saw her in that coffee shop. We do not need an angry succubus flying around. Wong, they got into an aerial battle, and Wanda was using sigils, runes, whatever you want to call them, to focus her power. I think she picked that up from good old Aggie. I never showed her anything like that on purpose. I always suspected she had magic in her bones, but it wasn’t my place to start that fire. The bigger issue is that Wanda conjured up two children while she was there. She created cats for me, so anything is possible. I got knocked out by the end of the fight, so I have no idea what exactly happened in the end other than Wanda running off and Agatha being left behind for some reason.”

“And?” Wong asked as he started to look you up and down. “You did a spell? And it went bad? Your aura is all messed up.”

“I…I tried to do a spell so The Avengers would think of me less and less, and then eventually I’d just be a fleeting memory. I felt walking away in the dead of night, the thing I usually do when I am leaving town, would not be good enough. The spell got botched, and now I’m connected in some fashion to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Looking back at it, I spent more time with them in the days leading up to my departure. Steve and Bruce were there the day I left, and so were Sam and Bucky. And…I’m carrying a lot of guilt about Bucky after his accident in 1943.”

“All this on top of the magical circus Wanda made? Are you insane?” Wong yelled as he started to pace.

“And the fight I had with Stephen on the day of the battle. Yeah, I guess I am insane,” you replied as Wong threw up his hands. Bruce had gotten extremely quiet, and that was not a good thing.

“Before we get to dissecting your spell, Kari, was this because of what Tony said? About you not being an Avenger because you were…?”

“Unstable? Yes. And the fact I could not bring anyone back from the grave, especially during that last battle. And the fact about who killed his parents. Buck did while under Hydra control. Steve found out and never told Tony. I ran into The Winter Soldier a few times over the decades, so there was the chance I could have prevented their deaths, too. Tony really had no reason to ask me to join the band.”

“Once we get your spell problem sorted, then we will address this, too,” Bruce said as he looked toward Wong and shook his head. “I loved Tony like a brother, but he was wrong…”

You winced a few times as you tried to listen to Bruce and Wong, now joined once again by Darcy, as they tried to figure out how to fix or reverse that spell, and they hashed out what might have happened to you during that first trip to Westview. You were really trying to focus on their questions, but you felt a tug that no one else could ever have possibly felt.

“Baltimore,” you mumbled as you pulled out your cellphone and debated texting the person you felt tugging at that damned invisible string. No. That would have ended badly, especially since your original spell had gone haywire.

“Bucky Barnes was arrested?” Darcy asked as she showed you her phone alert. “I bet he punched that new fake Cap in the nose. Sorry, but that guy looks like he has no clue. I saw him on Good Morning America. Total cheese fest.”

“Wait. What?” you asked as you took her phone. “Sam didn’t keep the shield? I just hope Bucky didn’t punch Sam and wind up in jail for that!” You gave Darcy back her phone and looked at yours again. It was buzzing. “Anyone here know who the hell is Christina Raynor?” you asked the trio in front of you. No one had any clue about that. You hit the speaker button as you answered the call.

“Hello? Ms. MacOrish. I’m James Barnes’ therapist, Christina Raynor. Sam Wilson said I should give you a call and ask you to join us in Baltimore. As quickly as possible, if you can. I don’t think Mr. Barnes wants to spend the night in a holding cell.”

“Oh no, you are not going to Baltimore,” Wong said as he crossed his arms and got a stern look on his face. “Not while your head is all over the place. You could portal to Baltimore in the 1800s for all you know. You could end up eating lunch with Lord Baltimore in the 1700s. You really shouldn’t do this.”

“Wong, what better place for me to go than to see a therapist?” you said with a smirk as you opened your own portal, this one a lovely shade of emerald green, that went to where Raynor was waiting for you—outside an interrogation room at the city jail.

“Mr. Wilson said you’d be fast. He did not tell me you were one of the powered class,” Raynor said as you went through the portal, looking back to wave briefly as you heard Darcy’s last comment.

“What about your rental car?”

[moonbeambucky]

Hey Neighbor (Part 5)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 2276 Warnings: mentions of physical/verbal child abuse

Summary: You had a plan and then life came along with one of its own. With your future almost derailed you worked hard to get yourself back on track and finally everything seemed to be going right… that is, until your new neighbor moved in.

A/N: A huge thank you to my wonderful beta Sam @buckyofthemyscira​​​ Feedback is always appreciated!

PART 4 | HEY NEIGHBOR MASTERLIST

The subway doors opened letting people spill out before the anxious crowd pushed their way in. Some people rush to find the best spot, leaning against the railing of the wall or beside the door that leads to the other cars, others look for a seat or grab a pole to hold on to.

Everyone kept to themselves though there’s a knowing look between a few, in search of the source of the terrible odor that fills the car. Summer may almost be over but the use of deodorant should never, ever stop.

You couldn’t wait to be home, not only to save your nose from further inhaling the awful stench but because you needed to prepare your outfit for the following day. You put in to leave work a few hours early and unbeknownst to Maria it was so you could interview at Metro-General with Ms. Rodriguez.

You needed to make a good impression. The deadline for submitting your internship paperwork was quickly approaching and you really wanted to have everything settled.

When you were finally home you kicked off your shoes and swapped your blouse and skirt for a more comfortable pair of leggings and a loose tank top. Your closet was full of options and you pulled down a few hangers but you couldn’t think straight. Your stomach rumbled with hunger so you decided to make something to eat.

Opening the cabinet you found a value sized box of macaroni and cheese, something you had bought on those few occasions you made something at home for when Steve would come over and knowing his appetite, family sized meals were the most appropriate.

Water began to boil on the stove as you went back to the items hanging off the closet door knob. With food on the horizon you were able to decide on a white striped button down with slim navy trousers and beige heels. Some basic jewelry was set aside, nothing too flashy.

As you poured the macaroni into the boiling water you realized just how much food there was going to be but at least you would have leftovers. Chalky orange powder floated in the air as you mixed the “cheese” in with the cooked pasta, stirring around to ensure everything was properly coated.

Setting the food aside you opened your fridge to grab a drink, debating what would go best with mac and cheese before you heard a knock at your door. Steve was at the gym and even though you were overdue to see Wanda you didn’t think she would just drop in without notice.

Looking through the peephole your heart raced. Bucky.

Unlocking the door you pulled it open and smiled at your unexpected visitor. “Hey neighbor.”

He smiled, quickly taking in your casual appearance. Bucky didn’t know you very well but he did know that you were a busy woman and any chance you took to relax should be thoroughly enjoyed.

“Hey Y/N. Sorry to bother you but…” He brought his hand up with a snap, presenting the match to your missing sock. “I think this belongs to you. I hope it does at least, otherwise it would be weird that I stole a random sock,” he laughed.

You reached forward for the sock, immediately recognizing it as yours. Your face questioned how he found it and Bucky explained it must have been left in the washing machine.

“Aww thanks!”

“You’re welcome. Uhh, well, I’ll let you get back to your evening.”

Bucky took a step to walk towards his door before you called out to stop him. He turned around with surprise written on his face.

“So, I kinda made enough mac and cheese to feed a small army and if I’m being honest with myself I know I’ll wind up heating some up in the middle of the night and definitely regretting it.”

Bucky laughed at your admission which made you smile even wider.

“So what I’m trying to get at here is, are you hungry?”

Bucky hadn’t expected to hear that from you and upon further clarification he certainly didn’t expect you to be inviting him inside your apartment, but he happily did so, following behind you.

He stared at your apartment thinking somehow you had so much more space than he did even though the units were identical. He smiled at the delicate decor around your bedding, the feminine curtain framing your bed with soft lights shining through it. It made your bed seem inviting, like a soft cloud floating amongst the starry night sky.

You lead Bucky to your table, pushing books aside and piling stacks of paper on top of them.

“Your place is cute,” Bucky commented as his head continued to look around and observe things.

Two bowls were brought down as you scooped heaping amounts of the mac and cheese into them, placing one in front of Bucky and the other at the empty spot beside him.

“Uh, I’m not actually sure what drinks go with this,” you admitted, chuckling as you turned back to Bucky.

Opening the refrigerator again you called out what you had and Bucky accepted a beer and you snapped open a White Claw and took a sip. He eyed you suspiciously and smirked.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you joked.

Bucky ran his fork through the food, biting his lips to hold back an even bigger smile. “Like what?” he not-so-innocently asked.

“It’s the same look Steve gives me. I know they’re trendy but they’re actually really good!” you defended, taking a forkful of the still steaming macaroni.

“Is that your boyfriend?”

“Steve?! No, he’s just a really good friend.”

“Oh I just assumed since I know he’s here a lot.”

Your face twisted in confusion, worrying for a moment about the person you let into your apartment until Bucky eased your mind with the words you once told him, “thin walls.”

“Right.” You were partially relieved that your neighbor was not a creepy stalker, but you hoped you hadn’t heard all the times you were venting about him.

“Steve comes over to hang out and watch movies and stuff.”

“Oh, Netflix and chill? Do people still say that?” he wondered out loud.

“I don’t think they do,” you laughed. “Why, you jealous?”

You didn’t believe the words spoken had come out of your mouth. Where that brazen flirtation came from you don’t think you’ll ever know.

Bucky was just as caught off guard, swallowing his food at the same time unexpected nerves bubbled to the surface. “No…” he began.

“I’m just kidding. You don’t seem like the jealous type, especially with your, uh, frequent visitors.” Somehow things didn’t seem as awkward as the last time you brought the subject up.

“Yeah I’m not really a relationship guy,” he said confidently.

You found yourself explaining Steve’s situation with Lillian and how he needed a friend to take his mind off the pain. “I can’t blame him, having your trust broken like that is awful. He’s not ready to get back out there yet.”

Visible dark hair was speckled under his chin as Bucky tipped his head back to take a swig of the bottle. The bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed mesmerized your eyes, as did the single swipe of his tongue across his plump lips to lick away the excess liquid.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Me? I couldn’t tell you what a relationship was if it hit me in the face.”

Lazily you swirled the fork around your food. “I’ve been so busy with school the last few years and working full time on top of it. It’s rare that I meet someone new, let alone devote any time to them.”

You explained the history of your living situation to Bucky and the reason behind all those nights you’ve spent studying at The Grind House.

“That’s definitely stressful,” he let out a sigh. “So why social work?”

Sometimes people know what they want to be from a young age. If they really like animals they might become veterinarians or zoologists. Some people have a knack for science, some for teaching, others for law. Bucky has clearly loved music even before he realized he could make a career of it.

Things were always different for you. There was never a clear choice. You had hobbies but nothing ever stood out and even as you grew older and your interests changed there was still never a distinct path of where you wanted to take your life, not until everything you thought you knew about your best friend had been a lie.

You took a moment to collect yourself before opening up. Throughout your first year of middle school you were seated next to Pietro Maximoff, a friendly, quick witted class clown that made each day brighter.

Pietro’s twin Wanda was separated into a different class but you all shared the same lunch period and became friends. You were never allowed to go to the Maximoff’s house and you didn’t question it too much. You didn’t mind when Wanda hung out in your room after school but she was always in a rush to get home before dinner, before her father got home from work.

It wasn’t until high school that you learned about Django Maximoff and the violence he inflicted on his children. His drinking had always been out of control but he managed it until one day when he was driving and he nearly hit another car. Pietro was worried and questioned if his father was alright, his concerns were answered with a rough fist.

As his drinking increased so did the physical abuse which he enforced over anything. If Pietro ate too quickly Django smacked his head and told him to slow down. If Wanda ate too slow he would kick her shins with heavy boots under the table and tell her to not chew her food like a cow.

Their mother Marya sported bruises that matched her children as Django didn’t hold back with her either. He blamed her and the kids for all the problems they were having. If bills were too high it was because the kids watched too much TV. That problem was solved quickly one night when he threw Pietro into it.

He got the worst of the abuse, often protecting Wanda when he could, telling her to hide in a closet or under the bed as he took each whip of the belt and every spiteful word that spewed from Django’s evil tongue.

Marya wanted to leave Django but he threatened to kill the children in front of her if she tried, he told Wanda and Pietro the same thing and so the family were hostages in their own home, left to keep their painful truth a secret for as long as they could.

You hated the days of Pietro’s absence, selfishly missing the way your friend could always make you laugh when unbeknownst to you he was at home recovering from an injury that was too great to hide at school.

A drunken crash finally removed Django from their lives but the damage was done. Left with large debts and little money Marya struggled to keep a roof over their heads.

Sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons. By the time you were in high school Pietro dropped out and got involved with some bad people. The gang he was with gave him the opportunity to help provide for his mother and Wanda but they protested. Marya was looking into moving somewhere else, declare bankruptcy and start over, start fresh but it was too late.

“Pietro died.” Your voice cracked as the pain of bringing up the memories flooded your heart. “There was a shooting with a rival gang. Piet didn’t even have a gun but he ran out in the middle of everything to protect some kid from the crossfire.”

Bucky noticed the tears that brimmed over your eyes. You took another sip from the can, hoping that as you tipped your head back the tears would retreat. You really didn’t want to cry and make things awkward.

With another deep inhale you continued, “Pietro was robbed of his childhood and nobody did anything to protect him. It always stuck with me, I think about the signs looking back. There should have been someone there to help them, to intervene when they were growing up maybe, just maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

A tear managed to slip out but you wiped it away quickly. You didn’t have to say anymore, Bucky understood why. Every long day at work followed by a longer night of school, every minute you spent devoted to your studies, all of it was worth it to bring you closer to the promise you made yourself, helping the Pietro’s of the world that needed a hand to pull them from the darkness.

Dinner was finished shortly after and Bucky offered to help clean up but you declined. Bringing up the past made you long for a good, deep cry, one you didn’t really want to do in front of your new neighbor.

Bucky lingered at the door before leaving, acting on the thoughts he quickly processed in his mind. He leaned in to hug you, quickly because he wasn’t quite sure if you would be okay with that but firm enough to offer emotional support after you opened up to him. You nearly cried again as you felt his strong hold against you but thankfully you held out, letting the tears slip out after the door shut behind him. Bucky wasn’t so bad after all. 

PART 6

[steviesdoll]

Once Upon A Time

Steve Rogers x reader

Summary : In which the reader is a princess. She's the only daughter to King Anthony Stark . So considering that she's the heir of the throne. But a prince(Bucky) comes from another kingdom and the reader and the prince immediately fall in love. The reader loved the prince and wanted to marry him as soon as possible. But the prince pretends to love her but he actually wanted her wealth as the reader is from a rich kingdom and he from a poor. So one day the prince asks the reader to come with him to see the most beautiful rose in the world. The reader goes with him to the woods to see the rose but when she touches it she falls asleep and the prince cheated her and took all her riches and ran away. The king sent people to find his daughter and finally found their sleeping princess . The advisors told that the princess will only wake up after the curse of the poisoned rose is over. The king announced that any charming prince who wants to marry her has to wait until she wakes up. But days, weeks and months pass she didn't wake up. Finally 2 years passed. For 2 years a knight(Steve) waited for her to confront his love to the princess though they were childhood friends and he loved he when he was only 14 but he never told her considering that she's a princess and he is only a knight but when he got the courage to confront his love for her she was asleep . Then the day came when she woke up. And when the knight told about his love to her and her eyes watered. Then they both married, though her father was not happy for his only child to marry to a knight but he didn't question it because he loved his daughter. They married lived a happy life and ruled their kingdom.

Pairings: Steve Rogers x reader, Bucky Barnes x reader (slightly)

Warnings: a lot of fluff, poisoning, cheating, no smut,

A/N : I hope you will enjoy reading it. And if you do please let me know. Sorry for making bucky a cheater. Please don't mind if there is a grammatical mistake just ignore it as my mother tongue is not English 😅

Once opon a time

There was a king named Anthony Stark of the Iron kingdom. He ruled with his lovely wife Queen Virginia. He had a daughter named (Y/N).She was the only child of King Anthony and Queen Virginia. She was the heir to the throne. She was loved by her parents and the people of her entire kingdom. She and the knight of the kingdom were childhood best friends.

Princess (Y/N) was very beautiful. She grew up in riches but she was very kind to everyone.

One day a prince from the Winter kingdom came to visit the Iron kingdom. He came to the castle to meet King Anthony.

While he was on his way he got hit by the princess.

"I'm sorry " you aplogised to the handsome stranger standing in front of you. By looking at his clothes you understood that he is a prince from some other kingdom.

"No I'm sorry, I was not watching my way " he apologized "Are you princess (Y/N) of the Strak kingdom "

"Yeah I am princess (Y/N)"you replied "And you..... "

"I'm prince James of the Winter Kingdom "he told "nice to meet you "

"you too "

Your one day meeting turned into everyday meeting. James stayed in your kingdom for nearly a month and today was his last day.

So like everyday today also you went to meet James or Bucky for you in the midnight. You secretly meet him everyday as your father won't appreciate the idea of you meeting a prince of another kingdom though it was your age to marry but you were the heir to the throne so your father wanted told you that once you become the queen you can do anything you want.

You were deeply in love with Bucky and wanted to marry him as soon as possible. He too loved you. No one knew about your love for Bucky, no one except your childhood best friend knight Steve.

Bucky stayed at the guest house at your kingdom. You went there and knocked the door. Then Bucky opened the door.

"Hey Buck"

"Hi my love, please come in, we don't want someone to see us right "

"Yeah right "

You went in and Bucky closed the door. Then you hugged Bucky tight not wanting him to leave you. His lips then attacked yours. Like always it was not a sweet, passionate kiss but this time it was rough and full of hunger. You broke the kiss.

"I love you Buck, I love you very much "

"I too love you my darling "he replied "but I want to show you something "

"What "you were very excited .

"Would you like to see the most beautiful rose in the world "

"Most beautiful rose in the world, ohh myyy goodd, yessss Buck"

"Then come with me "

You both then went to the woods and you followed him. Then you got to see a huge red rose, it was beautiful. It glowed in the moonlight. You went towards the rose.

"Wow it's magnificent "

You then touched the rose and started to feel dizzy.

"Oh my God, whats happening Buck "

"Sorry my love "

Then you felt Bucky's hand on you he took all your necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Now you knew he cheated you . You understood that he loved your wealt and not you. Your heart broke that the man you loved didn't love you. You could do nothing that time and by then everything went black. You felt asleep.

It had been two days since you were missing. The people in the court told that you ran away with the good for nothing Prince.

But the king could not believe that you ran away with a man without saying anything to your parents.

Then it was knight Steve who suggested the idea of searching for you. He was your childhood best friend and he knew that you won't run away with the prince and he wouldn't know. He knew that you loved Bucky but you didn't ran away with him.

King Anthony immediately agreed to the Steve's idea.

After five days of continuous searching they finally found you in the middle of the woods. You were deep asleep.

The advisors told that the princess will only wake up after the curse of the poisoned rose is over.

So King Anthony announced that any charming prince who wants to marry the princess has to wait until she wakes up. The princes of another kingdoms thought it as a golden opportunity to marry the most beautiful princess and become the king of the Iron kingdom.

But days, weeks and months pass she didn't wake up. Finally 2 years passed.

For 2 years knight Steve wanted to confront his love for you.

Then the day finally came when you woke up after 2 years.

"Princess are you awake "you heard lady Natasha saying.

You opened your eyes saw your two best friends and lady in waiting sitting on the edge of the bed on which you lay, lady Natasha and Lady Wanda.

"Wanda "Natasha told"Go and inform the king that the princess is awake "

"Natasha "

"Yes, (Y/N)"

"For how long was I asleep? "

"For two years, (Y/N)"

After hearing that you were shocked that you were sleeping for continous two years. You thought that you were asleep for maybe two to three days.

Then the realization hit you of what had happened that night. Bucky cheated you, he never loved you. He pretended to love you but actually he wanted your wealth .He tricked you by poisoning the rose and stealing complete two years from you. You decided that if you ever see him again you're gonna murder him. How can he do that to you "

You were lost in your thoughts while you heard the voice of your father.

"(Y/N)"

"Father "

"I can't believe that you're finally awake "

"Yes father "

Then you spot Steve standing at the doorway of your gigantic room.

"Steve "

"(Y/N)"

"You talk with Steve while I announce the good news that you're awake "your father replied and exited your room

"How are you Steve "

"I'm fine (Y/N)"he replied "you won't mind if I say you something "

"What? "

He was silent for a while.

"Steve say what you want to say don't scare me"

Finally he gave in"(Y/N) I love you"

After hearing that you were shocked that your crush, your childhood best friend , handsome knight Steve was in love with you.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way for me "

He got up and started to move away. But you caught his hand.

"It's not like that Steve, I too love you "

He was very happy to hear that you can see on his face.

"Steve, if you love me why didn't you say me earlier? "

"I was afraid "

"From whom, me? "

"No your father" he replied "i thought he won't like the heir to the throne with a knight"

"My father's not so cruel, he may not like the idea of you and me together but he won't say anything cause he loves me "

Then you hugged each other tightly.

A month passed everyone of the kingdom came to know about your romance with the knight.

The day of your marriage came. It was a grand royal wedding.

Five years passed

Now you were queen (Y/N) and Steve your King. You too had a five year old daughter Sarah and were on your way to have another soon.

You and Steve lived happily ever after.