#and tony being all focused and >:/.....sighs. i care him

[dreamwritesimagines]

The Eye of the Hurricane [32]- Back Alley

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: Business partners don’t have to be friendly.

Word Count: 3100

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Warnings: Violence, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, dysfunctional relationship, mentions of sex. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

You were beginning to think that the divorce clause in your prenup was going to come in handy any day now.

Granted you and Bucky had a deal, and you did trust him to hold up his end of the deal but he hadn’t spoken to you, or spared you as much as a glance for almost a week now so you were slowly getting lost in your anxious thoughts.

It was one thing when you were giving him an attitude but him acting like you didn’t even exist?

That flat out made your chest ache.

“Here you go,” Clint’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts as he put the file in front of you and you looked up at him, then smiled slightly.

“Thank you.”

“Oh no, thank you,” he said with a huff of laughter. “Rhett is an asshole, I’m glad you’re taking over.”

“He’s not so bad,” you muttered, opening the file to skim the page, then let out a small laugh. “But yeah. I could’ve told you he would reject this even if I offered it to him.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Not enough profit on his end,” you muttered, shuffling through the pages. “And he wants to see every plan you have, A to Z.”

Clint heaved a sigh, shaking his head.

“Well as I said, I’m glad you’re taking over,” he said and sat up straighter. “Nat will back you up, you know?”

You hummed, still focused on the page. “In the deal?”

“As the heir.”

That made your head snap up and you blinked at him in silence for a couple of seconds. He seemed almost entertained at your puzzlement as he leaned back on his seat behind his desk, and shrugged his shoulders.

“She talked to me too.”

You licked your lips. “And?”

“You won’t even try to feed me some bullshit about respecting your father’s chosen heir?”

“Depends,” you said. “Do you respect my father’s chosen heir?”

He let out a chuckle and held up his hands.

“He has done nothing to earn my respect,” he said. “I was willing to give him a chance—I did give him a chance and he fucked it up, as you know.”

You crossed your legs, keeping your gaze on him.

“Arthur is a legend in our line of work,” he said. “He’s the main reason why we have the truce now. That’s why I don’t understand how he made all the right choices up until the choice of heir because that…Y/N, that’s your right. I’m glad you’re making your move now.”

You pursed your lips.

“I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to make him reconsider.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “You have Bucky in your corner, Steve and Sam and Nat as well, and I’m planning on supporting you the minute your name comes up.”

You weren’t so sure about Bucky being in your corner at the moment but you still smiled at him. “Thanks Clint.”

“So the only one left is…”

“Tony,” you said. “He doesn’t trust me.”

“He doesn’t trust Ian either.”

“No but he trusts my father,” you admitted. “He may not like Ian but he isn’t going to go against that decision.”

He hummed, drumming his fingertips on the desk.

“Nat and I will talk to him,” he said. “Let’s see if he changed his mind in the light of these recent developments. Just one question though.”

“Hm?”

“If your father doesn’t change his mind,” he said. “Will you take it from Ian anyway?”

That was a difficult question.

If it were Steve or Sam asking you this, you could answer it truthfully but you didn’t know Clint as well as you knew them. You had no idea if it was a bait, so whatever answer you gave him could change his opinion about backing you up, so you bit inside your cheek, deep in thought.

“I…” you trailed off. “I’m not going to start a war, but I’m not just going to lie back and take it if Ian does. I doubt anyone else would either.”

Clint nodded his head slowly.

“You two are always going to be a threat to each other, he knows that,” he muttered. “He’s an idiot, but not that much of an idiot.”

You shifted your weight on your seat, nibbling on your lip.

“Mm hm.”

“And you do realize that one of you will have to kill the other to get to the top?”

That made your jaw clench before you nodded your head, trying your hardest to ignore the churning in your stomach.

“Nat said the same thing.”

“Because she knows how it goes,” he said. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

You paused only for a moment, an image of you pulling the trigger flashing before your eyes before you smiled at him.

“Sure,” you said. “If it comes down to that, yeah. I’m ready.”

                                                 *

“I don’t understand what the problem is, your whole relationship with Bucky has been nothing but a fight so far,” Becca said as she handed you and Sarah your coffee cups. “I wouldn’t say it’s too big of a deal.”

“We’ve never had a fight like this though,” you muttered and turned to Sarah. “What do you think?”

Sarah shot you a sympathetic smile. “I don’t think it was the best call to hide Rhett from him until that meeting.”

You let out a whine, slipping a little in your seat. “I had a reason!”

“Which was?”

“I didn’t—I—” you stammered. “I didn’t want him to go behind my back and make that deal himself, obviously!”

Sarah and Becca exchanged glances before they turned to you.

“And you think Bucky,” Sarah started. “Bucky who’s been trying to push you to the top ever since you told him you wanted to be the heir would do that?”

“Yeah well, forgive me if I can’t trust mob bosses,” you muttered. “My dad said he wanted me to be the heir, and then what did he do? He took it away from me. I’m not going to let Bucky do that as well, that plan has been in motion for years now, I put in the effort—”

“Should I just text Bucky you have daddy issues and be done with this nonsense?” Becca asked and your jaw dropped.

“I do not have daddy issues!” you insisted. “Sarah, tell her!”

“Your picture comes up when I google daddy issues,” Sarah said with a shrug of her shoulders, making your jaw drop.

“Sarah!”

“I mean if we look at it from Bucky’s perspective, he does have a point in feeling betrayed.”

Your stomach did a painful flip and you took a deep breath, throwing your shoulders back.

“Well you are my best friends so we’re not looking at it from his perspective,” you told Becca, making her let out a small laugh, holding her hands up to gesture surrender while Sarah sipped her coffee.

“Does he at least know you and Rhett had a full on relationship?”

“Was it that bad?”

“It wasn’t good,” you sulked while you and Isla walked out of the building. “I swear if I fail the midterm…”

“You won’t fail,” she assured you and you let out a groan, but then stopped dead on your tracks when your eyes fell on Rhett who was leaning against his jet black car on the other side of the road. A smile curled your lips and you turned to Isla.

“Um—”

“Go ahead,” she said with a wink. “I have to find Bradley anyway.”

“Tell him I said hi!” you called out, already running to Rhett and you threw yourself into his arms, making him chuckle before he lifted you up to sit you down on the hood of the car, his lips claiming yours. You heaved a sigh when he pulled back, then smiled up at him brightly.

“Hi!” you said, your fingers brushing over his curly hair. “I thought you had a meeting!”

“The meeting finished early.”

You tilted your head, pulling your brows together.

“Oh you got rid of him?” you asked. “What was he, a mole?”

He gave you a reprimanding look. “Not in public, baby.”

You rolled your eyes at him, making him chuckle as he squeezed your thigh, still his other hand resting against the hood beside you, caging you in while you fixed your skirt.

“Do you have plans for tonight?”

Rhett hummed. “I have a plan that includes you and a bed, does that count?”

You let out a giggle, pecking him on the lips.

“There’s this party for the end of the midterms,” you said. “Do you want to come with me?”

“There’s no way I’m leaving you alone at a party,” he stated. “Sure thing, I can tag along.”

“Yay!”

“Before that though, have you—” he started but his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, and took it to his ear.

“Yeah?” he asked while you absentmindedly pulled his gun out of his waistband to check the magazine, humming a song to yourself. “Yeah, no, I had to cut the meeting short. Our usual guys are dealing with the clean up.”

You counted the bullets, then slid the magazine back to its place while Rhett stroked his thumb over your knee, coaxing another giggle out of you.

“Great, thanks,” he said and hung up, making you look up at him as he took the gun from you.

“You’re missing a bullet.”

“It’s inside a guy’s skull as we speak,” he muttered, leaning in to brush his lips against yours and you cupped his cheek, heaving a sigh when he pulled back.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“I had like three energy drinks,” you said as he tilted his head to shoot you a look. “What, it’s the midterms week!”

“Let’s have lunch in bed.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing, Rhett.”

“Should be a thing,” he mused, dragging his fingertips up your leg, making you swat at his hand.

“We’re in public!” you reminded him, making him chuckle. “Anyways, what are we eating then?”

“You’re eating whatever you want and I’m eating you out.”

You tried to ignore the fire spreading over your face as your jaw dropped.

“Very romantic—” you started but you were cut off when his phone started vibrating again, making him grit his teeth before answering.

“What, dickhead?” he snapped at whoever it was on the phone. “I’m with my girl, the fuck do you want?”

“Be nice!” you whispered to him and he shook his head slightly.

“Yeah Lucas, he knows,” he said. “I called him before I called the clean up guys. Can you handle your shit or should I come there and hold your hand?”

You raised your brows as he hung up the phone, then turned to you.

“Sorry about that baby.”

“No problem,” you said “So that was Lucas on the phone?”

“Mm hm,” he said. “He wants to know if my dad knows about how the meeting ended. Anyways, as I was saying—”

“You do realize he wants your position?”

That made him pause and he frowned. “What?”

“Lucas,” you said, leaning back on your palms. “He wants your position as the prince of Chicago and he will try to stab you in the back.”

His eyes searched yours before he scoffed a laugh.

“Lucas is as loyal as a dog,” he said. “What makes you think that?”

“He glares at you the way my cousin glares at me,” you pointed out. “Whenever you’re not looking.”

His frown deepened and he thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Nah,” he brushed it off. “No way. As I said, loyal as a dog.”

“But Rhett, your position—”

“The only position I care about right now is the one I’ll put you in when we get to my place,” he muttered to your lips with a smirk, making you giggle before he stole a kiss. “Come on. We’re leaving.”

“It didn’t come up,” you muttered. “Besides, it isn’t as if we were serious.”

“You kind of were.”

“Debatable.”

“You need to tell him,” Sarah insisted, making you turn your cup in your palms just to distract yourself. “It’s better than Rhett telling him, no?”

“I guess,” you said. “I just don’t think he likes me nowadays.”

Becca rolled her eyes.

“You two need to start actually talking to each other.”

You huffed out a breath, then sipped your coffee.

“I mean we have the therapist appointment,” you said. “Which, I don’t even know if he will show up but…”

“You are feeding false information to the therapist,” Sarah reminded you as if trying to help you. “Try to talk to each other truthfully, maybe?”

You clicked your tongue, turning the cup between your palms.

“Yeah,” you murmured. “Can’t hurt to try I guess.”

                                         *

The therapist appointment was uncomfortable to say at the very least. Bucky kept quiet for the most of it despite Dr. Raynor’s efforts to include him in the conversation, and the answers he gave her were pretty curt, so it came as a no surprise when Dr. Raynor put her notebook aside.

“I’m sensing a tension?” she said, motioning between you two while Bucky bounced his leg, his gaze darting to the clock on the wall before returning to her.

“We’ve had a disagreement,” you said, making him grit his teeth.

“Y/N.”

“We’re in a therapy session and you haven’t talked to me for the last week,” you said. “Might as well.”

“You haven’t talked to each other for the last week?”

“I did try,” you defended yourself and Bucky crossed his arms, keeping his eyes on the table.

“Bucky?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Don’t do that!” you insisted. “You’re angry at me for some reason—”

“For some reason?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”

“What happened?” Dr. Raynor asked and you licked your lips, then sat up straighter.

“We’re going to make a deal with a business partner,” you said. “Bucky is angry because I know him.”

“No Y/N, I’m angry because despite us having a deal, you went behind my back.”

“I didn’t go behind your back,” you protested. “Not sharing every single detail with you isn’t going behind your back.”

“You knowingly kept me out of the loop and that’s not going behind my back?” he asked and you threw your hands up.

“Bucky—”

“Do you feel like Y/N betrayed your trust, Bucky?”

Your jaw dropped as you looked at Dr. Raynor. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah actually,” Bucky said. “We had a deal and it turns out she’s had all these plans that she didn’t let me know about. Including knowing the guy—which by the way, you never did tell me how you know him.”

Your heart skipped a nervous beat and you let out a breath. “I don’t think it’s the place for it.”

“I disagree, you were the one who started it,” Bucky said. “So? How?”

You bit inside your cheek, then cleared your throat, motioning vaguely. “We used to date.”

Bucky gawked at you for a couple of seconds in complete silence before a dry laugh climbed up his throat and he ran a hand over his face.

“You used to date,” he said, dragging the tip of his tongue over his lip. “Of course…”

“That’s not even relevant—”

“Oh it’s very relevant,” Bucky cut you off, glaring at you. “What he—he still loves you or something? That’s why he’ll say yes to the deal? Because he thinks he has a shot?”

“Wh—no!” you exclaimed. “Do you hear yourself right now? It’s completely irrelevant!”

“Says you.”

“In case it has escaped your notice, we’re married, dickhead!”

“Alright, let’s calm down,” Dr. Raynor said but neither of you spared her a look.

“How is it irrelevant that the guy you used to date happens to only want to talk to you or make a deal with you?”

“Because I made sure that he trusts me!”

“Yeah?” he provoked you. “And how did you do that?”

 “By being good at this fucking job, how do you think?” you snapped back but before Bucky could retort, Dr. Raynor cleared her throat.

“Let’s continue this conversation in our next appointment,” she said and Bucky scoffed, then stood up to walk out of the office. You smiled at Dr. Raynor, standing up as well.

“See you next week, Dr. Raynor,” you said and went after Bucky, only catching up with him when you stepped outside.

“Bucky!” you called out and he turned around to give you a quizzical look. You licked your lips and stepped closer to him, not even sparing a glance at the bodyguards waiting for him by his car.

“Do you mind?” you asked him, nodding at the nearest back alley and he looked like he would say no, but he still followed you there. You took a deep breath and crossed your arms, looking up at him.

“I was going to tell you about me and Rhett,” you said and he let out a dry chuckle.

“Yeah,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. “Sure.”

“What, you don’t trust me?”

“I trust you as much as you trust me,” he pointed out, making you swallow thickly.

“Don’t be like that,” you muttered. “First you ignore me for a week and now—”

“I’m not ignoring you.”

Even you were aware of the petulant tone in your voice; “You’ve barely looked my way since the sit down!”

“I will talk to you when I have something to talk to you about.”

“If you’re expecting an apology—”

“Oh I know you better than that,” he cut you off. “Is that all or do you need anything else? I’m going to be late to my meeting.”

“Stop fucking treating me like one of those mob wives,” you growled and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not,” he said. “I told you. I’m treating you like a business partner. That’s what you said you wanted, isn’t it?”

You gritted your teeth, glaring up at him in silence and he had the audacity to give you a dry smile.

“Great. See you at home.”

He walked away from you and soon you heard the car driving off. You let out a furious breath, then leaned back to the wall, closing your eyes for a moment before opening them again.

“Very well then,” you muttered to yourself and got your phone out of your pocket, then found the name in your contacts. Your heartbeat sped up as your finger hovered over the screen, but you took a deep breath, touched it and took the phone to your ear.

It only rang once.

“Finally,” the familiar drawl reached you. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t call sweetheart.”

You could feel the smile curling your lips.

“Hi Rhett,” you said. “Do you have a moment?”

Chapter 33

[just-dreaming-marvel]

The Sniffles

MAIN MASTERLIST / CHRONIC ILLNESS MASTERLIST

Tony Stark x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2,765ish

Summary: You get sick which causes your arthritis to flare up. Tony is there to help you.

Notes: I literally cried while writing this because I was immobile just a few days ago because of my arthritis and getting sick at the same time. I also cried because I long to find a love that could care for me through my chronic illness. Unfortunately, because it's not visible, people don't believe me or end up growing tired of the issues. I can only hope that anyone who feels alone in their issues, finds this fic and finds some solace.

You groaned as you began to wake for the day. You winced as you swallowed, noting that your throat felt a bit raw. Taking a quick body inventory, you noticed that you had a slight headache and that your joints had a slight ache. You rolled over onto your side but quickly realized that was a mistake and sat up. 

“Excuse me, Miss,” FRIDAY’s voice rang throughout your room. “But you have a mission briefing in ten.”

“Shit,” you muttered. “Thanks, FRI.”

“My sensors are picking up elevated internal levels from you, Miss. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just need my arthritis meds and cold medicine.”

“Both can be found in the medicine cabinet in your bathroom.”

“Awesome,” you stretched as you stood up. 

You clenched your jaw as you slowly began to move through the pain. Once you got moving for a bit, you were able to handle it. You found the needed pills and took the water bottle from your bathroom counter to pour them down. 

As quickly as you could, you found an outfit for the day and headed to the conference room. You were the last one to arrive but you technically weren’t late. You found the empty seat towards the back, next to Tony. He shot you a smile with you returned it before the two of you focused on Steve.

The mission briefing wasn’t long as the Team was supposed to go on a routine mission later that day. Afterward, you all made your way to the common room. You began to make yourself a smoothie, hoping that you could stay clear of this cold before it got worse. As you worked, you coughed slightly and cleared your throat.

“Do you have the sniffles?” Tony asked, suddenly appearing beside you.

“Holy shit, Tony!” You exclaimed, having jumped.

“I don’t want to get sick.”

“I’m fine, other than you almost giving me a heart attack.” You coughed lightly into your sleeve. 

“I need you to wear a surgical mask until you’re feeling better. Is that okay?”

“Seriously Tony?”

He pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth, stepping closer to you. His hand lifted and he used the back of it to feel your face. “You feel—“

“Fine,” you pushed his hand away. “I feel fine.”

“A bit warm.”

“Maybe because I’m growing angry at you.”

He put both his hands up as he stepped back. “I’m just trying to help, sweetheart.”

You scoffed. “Then finish making my smoothie for me.”

“Oh, no. I will not be touching anything you’ve touched for a least a week. Speaking of which, I need to go sanitize.”

“Germophobe!” You shouted after him as he disappeared.

“You two are adorable,” Natasha commented from her spot on the kitchen island. You rolled your eyes. “Maybe you getting sick will finally cause him to make a move.” She smirked over her coffee. 

“That’s hilarious, Nat since he clearly can’t stand being around me with a barely there cough and a sore throat.”

“I’m just saying, maybe letting yourself get sick would be a good experiment.”

You sighed. Tony and you had been dancing around feelings for about a year now. The two of you were publicly flirtatious and often shared loving looks and touches. Neither of you were brave enough to fully act on anything though, leaving you both in this weird limbo.

“You’re forgetting, Nat, me getting sick is not a good experiment. My arthritis wouldn’t like that.”

“Yes, but then you’d get a chance to see if Tony would step in and take care of you.”

“Yeah, well, not a chance I’m willing to take.”

~~~

The mission was routine with a few Hydra thugs causing a bit of a problem. You tried to bite back the limp that your right hip and knee so badly wanted to show as you entered the quinjet. You practically collapsed into one of the bench seats. Tony entered, still in full Iron Man suit, and quickly came to your side.

“Are you alright?” He asked. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m—“ you cut yourself off with a cough “—fine.”

“FRIDAY, give me a reading.”

“It seems like Agent Y/N is showing signs of a strong cold,” the AI responded.

“See? I told you that you were sick.”

“I’m fine,” you repeated. “The mission wore me out. My arthritis is acting up.”

“You didn’t think to tell anyone about your arthritis acting up?”

“Tony, I just need sleep.” 

Even with his face hidden behind the mask, you knew that Tony’s mouth was set in a thin line and that his jaw was clenched. He moved so that he was sitting beside you and pulled you into him.

“It’s a bit of a flight home,” he told you. “Rest and then we can fight about this more.”

You moved so that your head was resting on his armored thigh. With a closed-mouth cough, you shut your eyes and fell asleep. Tony kept a hand on your arm and gently on your head to keep you in place. He kept his eyes on the monitors in his mask, where FRIDAY was constantly updating him on your stats. He was growing angry at himself for not having you sit out on the mission and for not noticing that your arthritis was flaring up.

When the quinjet landed, you were still completely passed out and Tony didn’t want to chance your arthritis making walking difficult. As carefully as he could while still in the Iron Man suit, he lifted you into his arms and headed for your room. Natasha smirked as she watched from where she and Steve were sitting in the quinjet.

“And so the experiment begins.”

~~~

There was a sob already in your throat the moment you woke. You could barely let it out as your throat was so incredibly sore. Tears slipped through your closed eyes as it set in on how on fire your joints were. You were in so much pain that you wouldn’t dare try to move, which was saying something since you often fought through the joint pain.

“Agent Y/N,” FRIDAY softly broke through your room. “Do you need help?”

“Yes,” you replied before you could even think about it. “Please.”

The quick footsteps you heard down the hall singled to you who was on their way. Your door swung open and Tony was quickly at your side.

“FRIDAY said you needed help,” he said. “What can I do?”

“It hurts,” you cried. “Everything hurts.” You coughed, the tears falling harder at the movements.

“I’ll call a med team. We’ll have you moved—“

“No! No movements. Please… I can’t handle it.”

Tony looked you over. There was sweat forming on various parts of your body, mixing in with your tears. Your muscles were tense and your eyes clenched shut. Tony had seen you during an arthritic flare-up, but this was something else.

“FRIDAY? I need a diagnosis and what to do,” Tony demanded.

“It seems that Y/N has the flu with an arthritic flare-up on top of it,” the AI responded. “I have ordered an IV to be brought up with the needed medications and liquids.”

“Okay… Okay… Y/N, sweetheart, what can I do?”

“I don’t know,” you cried. “It just hurts.”

“I know, I know, sweetheart. FRIDAY is sending stuff up. It’ll be here soon.” 

Tony’s heart was breaking at the pain you were in. His hands hovered over you, hating that they couldn’t be of use. Tony knew from previous experience that physical touch could make your flare-up worse and he didn’t want to chance that.

“FRIDAY had me bring these up,” Bruce stated as he came into the room with a bin of items. “Hey, Y/N,” he greeted softly once he reached you. “I’m going to put an IV in so that we can get some medicine and liquids in you.”

“No,” you whimpered. “Please, no… it’ll hurt…”

“Only for a second. I promise.”

“No… No… No—“

“I’ll be right here,” Tony said, one of his hands quickly taking yours. His other hand resting on your head, his thumb rubbing against your forehead. “I’m right here.”

“Tony…”

“Sshhh… It’s okay.”

“Alright, Y/N, I’m going to put in the IV needle,” Bruce stated.

You began crying harder, which triggered your coughing. Tony tried to soothe you through it while Bruce waited. You were still crying as the cough died.

“I’m right here,” Tony whispered, lips brushing against your forehead. He pressed kisses through the whispers. “I’ve got you… I know it hurts…” 

You whined as Bruce pressed the needle into your arm. “It hurts… stop…”

“I know, I know, honey.” He continued to whisper against your forehead.

Bruce worked as quickly as he could, getting the IV in you and injecting the medication. “Okay, I’m done,” he stated.

“He’s done, sweetheart. You did so good.” Tony turned to the man. “Thank you.”

Bruce nodded. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” Then he left.

“The medicine shouldn’t take long to work,” Tony told you. “Don’t fight it and get some rest.”

“Please don’t leave…” you whined.

“I’m not planning on it.”

~~~

Tony kept his hands on you until he knew you were sound asleep. He then washed up and grabbed a damp cloth. He carefully wiped off any of your sweaty skin he could see.

“FRIDAY?” He quietly called when he returned to the bathroom. “Where does Y/N keep that arthritis cream?”

“Top drawer on your left,” replied the AI.

Tony followed the directions and opened the cream container. “FRIDAY, order two more cases of this. She’s almost out.”

“On it, Boss.”

He went back into the bedroom and sat on the bed beside you. Dipping his fingers into the cream, he began to slowly rub it on your joints. Tony began with your hands, making sure to massage each finger, before working up your arms to your shoulders and neck. He carefully did your toes, ankles, and knees. He wished that he could help you with your back and hips, but he felt like those spots would wake you due to the intrusion. 

After he made sure your joints had cream on them, Tony sat on the bed next to you, working on a tablet. He needed to keep his mind busy from worrying too much. Tony couldn’t stand a problem he couldn’t solve and your arthritis was one of those. He knew that the flu you had was making it worse. He could help calm the flu, but that didn’t mean your arthritis would react the same. So Tony had to distract his mind with things he could do about it.

In your time asleep, Tony designed a special med-pack for you. This med-pack would be placed in every quinjet, med-bay room, and Compound room that you used. He designed a new bed, that would better relieve the joint pain. Tony redesigned your bathroom, with your arthritis in mind, and would begin renovations himself as soon as you felt better. He did all of this with a back thought of hope, going to redesign his own bed and bathroom for you as well. That maybe, one day, you would require it in there as well.

You moaned and shifted, causing Tony to put the tablet down.

“Tony…” you rasped.

“I’m right here, honey,” he said.

You finally blinked your eyes open to look at him. “You stayed.”

“Of course I did.”

“I just thought… with me being sick and all…”

Tony laughed. “Yeah, well, it’s hard to stay away from you, sweetheart. Sickness or not.”

“Thank you… for being here.”

Tony smiled down at you, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead. “Always… How are you feeling?”

“Still like hell, but better. Did you… did you put cream on my joints?”

“The just ones I could reach.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I had to do something, you know me. My hands have to stay busy. Are you hungry? Can I get you something?”

You swallowed, wincing at its soreness. “Um… soup.”

“Soup, coming right up.” He tapped his tablet a few times. “FRIDAY ordered soup from your favorite place and Happy is on his way to pick it up.”

“My favorite place, huh? And you know that how…?”

“It hurts that you don’t think I know you by now.”

You couldn’t help but note the emotions swirling in his big brown eyes. “I know,” you breathed out. “I know you know me…” 

You grimaced as you moved your arm up so that your hand was closer to Tony’s. He quickly got the hint and gently took your hand. The two of you stayed like that in silence until the soup had arrived. You thanked Happy before he left and then tried to sit up. You cried out and Tony was quickly there, helping you. He grabbed the extra pillows, putting them behind your back to stabilize you. 

“Is that okay?” He asked, already making a plan to dash for pillows if needed.

“It’s great,” you said, settling in. 

Tony out up and readied the soup. When he came back over, you grimaced as you lifted your hand to take the bowl.

“Nu-uh,” Tony shook his head. “You need to relax. I can handle this.”

“I’m not a baby, Tony.”

“I know, but you’re sick. Let me take care of you.”

“Alright, but you owe me. Next time I insist on taking care of you, you can’t fight me.”

He laughed. “Fine. It’s a deal.”

The first few spoonfuls of soup were tough to swallow. But Tony was patient with you and waited until you were ready before he fed you anymore. By the time you were done with the soup, you were worn out. Tony helped you lay back down before he injected the next round of meds and ate some soup himself.

“Tony,” you softly called.

“Yes, dear?” He responded.

“I’m glad you know things about me. It makes me feel safe… feel seen.”

“Y/N…” His fingers gently brushed down your face. “You are the only person I truly see. You are my light in the dark world. The reason why I continue to fight. The little things you do for me like making sure my coffee never runs out or the notes you leave around, make me feel seen and safe… Sweetheart, I love you.”

“You do?” Tears were welling up in your eyes.

“Yes, of course I do.”

“I love you, too.”

“God, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say those words.” He leaned his forehead against yours, making sure your noses were touching. “I would totally kiss you right now if you didn’t have the sniffles.”

You couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter. Tony quickly pulled away as your laughter turned into coughs. 

“You okay?” Tony wondered.

“Yeah,” you asked. “Just don’t make me laugh right now. It hurts too much.”

“Can do.” He kissed your forehead. “Do you need anything right now?”

“Sleep. Can you… can you hold my hand?”

“It’s the least I can do.” He went around the bed to sit down. Grabbing one of your hands, he pulled it up to kiss the back of it. “Get some rest.”

~~~

It took you forty-eight hours to start feeling okay again. Thankfully, Tony was there the whole time. Even when you needed to use the bathroom, Tony was there to help you. The first few times, you cried about how embarrassing it was, but he just kissed your tears away and told you that it was life.

When you started to feel better, Tony was there making sure you didn’t overdo it. You were grateful that he cared and didn’t fight it. Tony continued to stay in your room, sleeping beside you on the bed. The morning you woke feeling completely better, Tony was holding you close to his chest. This was the closest the two of you had gotten—physically—in ever. Carefully, you turned around in his arms and looked at him. You noticed some beads of sweat along his hairline.

“Tony?” You gently called. He groaned, burying his head into your neck. You couldn’t help but laugh. “Tony, how are you feeling?”

“I think I caught your sniffles,” his voice was hoarse and you knew exactly why.

“Yes, I think you did, babe.” Your hands raked through his hair. “But I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you the whole time.” You kissed his head. “I love you.”

“I wove you too…”

[miserable-sarah]

I Hate You.

18+

Pairings: Bucky x Reader Warnings: TW: Crash (Jet), language, shooting, fighting, mentions of smut, implied sex, mentions of blood. Summary: You and Bucky are stuck on a mission together. (enemies to lovers)

~

"Wanda and Vision, Nat and Clint, Bucky and Y/n" You hear a loud groan that cuts Tony off. He shoots a look at Bucky before continuing "Steve and Sam, Bruce you're here with me. I will fly out if needed and only if we absolutely need Hulk he will be there." Tony looks around and claps his hands together "Any questions?"

"Uh yeah" You raise your hand "Why am I with metal arm?" you nod your head towards Bucky, he rolls his eyes at you.

"She's going to get me killed" Bucky mumbles, you laugh.

"No, you'll get me killed. You are so impulsive. You don't care if you die-"

"Enough!" Steve cuts you off. You look at him and sigh. "We have our assignments now follow them" He says sternly looking between you and Bucky. You and Bucky both look at each other, he gives you a dirty look and leaves the room taking the report. You stand up and put your hand to your forhead

"Yes captain" you sarcastically say before leaving.

"Tony why would you put those two together?" Wanda asks sincerely worried.

"They actually work well together" He shrugs.

"We'll see" Wanda huffs.

~

You get on the jet because you see Bucky get on. He gets everything ready and you sit in the back with the report. It's an easy mission. Shut down a factory, make sure no weapons leave the area.

"Seems easy enough" You mumble yourself. You look at Bucky who is just focused on driving. Bucky bothers you, he was mean to you as soon as you 'joined' the avengers. He never took the time to meet you or even talk to you, he always rolled his eyes at you, and you have no idea why. Why does he have to be such a prick.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer" Bucky scoffs at you walking by. Your eyes widen and you look away. You hold up the report even though you already read it. Bucky sits across from you, you can feel him staring, you open your mouth to mock Bucky and say the same thing he did to you but he stops you. "You really have to go over that again?" He chuckles.

"No." You say and put it down. You cross your legs and stare at him. "I'll get the south entrance" you say

"No, you get the roof." He says leaning back in his chair never taking his eyes off you.

"No, you get the roof. I get south side. I'm faster" He scoffs at you.

"You're faster" He laughs "I'm faster, I'm a better shot, I'm just better." He smiles at you, his ego is so big you're surprised his head isn't exploding.

"Right." you roll your eyes. "I'll take the roof." You just agree not wanting to fight with Bucky. He stands up and pats you on the head.

"Good girl" He smiles going back to the front of the ship. You sigh heavily trying not to freak the fuck out. Why would he pat your head. It instantly pissed you off.

"I hate you." Bucky shoots you a glare. his eyebrows furrow.

"I hate you." He spits back.

You decide to let it go and just stay calm and focus on the mission. After a while of flying, you and Bucky fly over the site you need to shut down. You go to the front and sit in the seat ready to land. You look over the mountains and see armed missiles pointed right at you.

"James!" You yell frantic, worry laces your voice.

"I know" Bucky says trying to maneuver the jet so it doesn't get hit. One of the wings gets hit and a whole bunch of sirens go off. "We're going down hard. Hold on to something." You grip the arm of your chair. Bucky takes your hand, your other wing gets hit. You both look into each other's eyes. The jet hits, you watch as Bucky flings around in his seat. It feels like everything is in slow motion, you feel your body being tugged in all different directions.

~ You wake up to Bucky shaking you.

"Y/n, get up. Y/n we have to go." He helps you up and you just stare at him confused. He groans out loud and picks you up holding bridal style, he runs with you taking cover. You can't hear right everything is muffled. You can see Bucky's mouth moving but you can't understand him. You hear muffled shots so you know something is shooting at you. You point to your ears.

"I-I" You stutter shaking your head. You see Bucky close his eyes and shake his head. You know he's pissed, he points to the sky. You look up and see jets flying. Fuck, the ones you need to shoot down. You nod your head at him, he tries to hold you back but you escape his grip. You run getting the attention of the jets, there's two of them. You draw out a plan in your head. You need to get to the building. Bucky will have time to get in without being chased.

You get in the building untuched, which you're thankful for. You sneak behind large wooden crates. You look at your wrist to see if your mic is still on, it is.

"2 men in the North, I got 2 I'll take down. Should be more somewhere." You say quietly, you're not sure if Bucky can hear you or not." You see a metal arm and a man goes down. You shake your head and smile. The other two, your two go after him. You trip them and fight them until they can't move. You're not big on killing people. You look at Bucky, he holds up the explosive, you sigh in relief. He points to his ears you shake your head no, still not able to hear anything. He points to the roof and you nod, he tosses you one of the explosives. You get up to the roof and plant it.

"Planted. Set them off." You say jumping off the roof taking cover. You watch the building waiting. You start to get worried. You stand up and go towards the building, it explodes. OF COURSE. You get flown back, the same ringing in your ears intensifies. You hold your head and scream. You feel yourself being lifted, you look up. It's Bucky.

"It's okay" you read his lips. You can't believe Bucky is being so caring, you would've taken for the type to just leave for dead. You kind of get what Steve sees in him now. You look around your body trying to see if you see any visible wounds. You're feeling really weak and don't know why.

"Bucky, I'm getting tired" You say weakly. Your arms drop from his neck.

"It's okay, you're okay" You read his lips. Fuck something must be wrong. You bring your hand up to your head, it's bleeding.

"Is it bad?" You ask, he closes his eyes tight and nods. "Dying, bad?"

"No!" He has tears in his eyes. You sigh, damnit this was supposed to be the last mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. you wanted to live a normal life after this, only get called when absolutely needed. You close your eyes and let a tear fall. Bucky slaps your cheek, making you open your eyes. "No" He shakes his head.

"Bucky, it's okay" he looks at you confused. "I can't stay awake. It's okay." you say softly. You reach up and touch his face. "Thank you" You smile. He's still running, you don't know where. He says something but you can't hear. He has tears in his eyes, you fade to black.

~ You wake up in a bed. You wince as soon as you try to sit up. You touch your head it's wrapped.

"James?" You call out. Bucky comes around the corner.

"Hi" He smiles

"I can hear you!" You smile. He smiles back.

"That's great" He sits on the bed. "You're going to be okay, like I said" He laughs. Flashbacks to you almost dying flood your mind. The crash, the explosion.

"Oh" you look at him "What happened?"

"I took you somewhere to heal."

"Why?" you ask "I thought you hated me" you chuckle.

"Please" he looks away "I don't hate you. I never have."

"Then why are you always so mad?"

"Honestly?"

"Well, that would be the best idea" You joke.

"That's why" He looks at you "You are so sunshine and rainbows all the time. It irks me because I'm so dark. I wish I could be happy like that."

"I'm not sunshine and rainbows, I make jokes out of serious situations so people don't go dark, Bucky. This job is hard, this job will ruin you and I refuse to let it get to me."

"I wish I could do that." He sighs

"You can. Trust me it's not all dark in there." You smile putting a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for saving me Bucky." you lean over and kiss his cheek. He blushes and looks down.

"You know" You say leaning back in the bed "I always thought you were so hot, but such a dick" you smile at him. He laughs at you.

"See, how do you do that" He lightly hits your leg. You smile at him and shrug, a comfortable silence falls.

"So, hot huh?" He looks at you, you laugh.

"Yeah, hot" you smirk.

"Good to know" Bucky stands up walking out of the room you're in. You bite your lip trying to hide your smile. You can't believe this is happening right now.

~ weeks after ~

You and Bucky were finally found, rescued by the avengers.

"So this is it?" Bucky leans up against your door frame. You just finished packing your bags.

"Yeah" You exhale. "I'll be called in only if I am 100% needed. Other than that, I'll be living my life."

"You're just going to leave me?"

"Bucky, I asked you to come with me. You want to stay, I can't anymore."

"Am I ever going to see you again?" He comes closer to you, you can smell him.

"Whenever you want."

"Because you're mine right?" He asks seducive. His hands rub up and down your shoulders.

"Yes" Your lips ghost his. Flashbacks of Bucky holding you down on the bed, fucking you so hard you can't even think straight, Bucky telling you, your his and only his. You agree saying that you're only his. The way he felt, the way he was.

"I'm going to miss you." He says in your ear kissing your neck.

"I'm going to miss you too." He looks you in the eyes and pulls you in for a deep kiss. You groan into the kiss. "Don't keep me waiting long" You smirk at him, "You know where to find me." He nods his head at you. He walks you downstairs where everyone was to send you off.

Everyone said their goodbyes and gave you hugs.

"No offense but I hope I don't have to see you guys for a long time. And if I do it better be for something good."

"Like your wedding" Tony fake coughs. You laugh at him.

"Sure." You roll your eyes. "Thank you. All of you." You smile at them one last time, your eyes go directly to Bucky. He smirks at you nodding his head. You walk out the door and close it behind you. It takes you a moment before you could move down to the taxi waiting for you.

You get to your new place, hidden in the mountains. You place your bags down in the living room. You walk up the stairs to the bedroom Bucky first kissed you, where Bucky first told you he loved you. Where you told him he was hot. You smile to yourself and sit on the bed.

"Hey" You open your eyes wide.

"James?" You ask confused "Why, what are you doing here?"

"You said not to keep you waiting long." He jokes, dropping his bag on the floor.

"Are you-"

"Yeah if you'll have me" He smiles at you. You smile wide pulling him for a kiss.

"I love you." You smile resting your forehead on his

"I love you."

[mostlymarvelsstuff]

12 & 14 with Nat please 🙏🏼

Authors note: (12: You are all I can think about, 14: I dream of you. All I do is dream of you.) Sorry for the wait friend! Hope you enjoy!

PS: requests are still closed, thank you for your patience 💖

Word count: 1120 Nat Masterlist Marvel Masterlist

   Natasha sits down on the one couch and slides her heels off her feet as with a sigh. Truthfully it's not really them that's bothering her, she's very used to wearing them for extended periods of time, what was bothering her was all the people Tony had invited to this party. Way too many of them have walked up to her to indulge in conversation and she's just about reached her limit for social interaction with strangers.

   Unfortunately for her, these men don’t seem to be getting the memo. The death glare she gives them goes unnoticed as their attention is solely focused on how stunning she looks in her dress. And she can’t really blame them too much, she had worn a particularly low cut one with a leg slit, with her hair up in a bun and a gorgeous diamond necklace accentuating her neck. All in all it was very eye catching, it just hadn't caught the eyes she intended it to. Or so she thinks.

   In reality your eyes have been glued to her all night, you just haven’t been able to slip away from any of Tonys annoying guests to approach her. But god did you want to. She looked so beautiful tonight, and to be fair she always did to you, no matter what she wore, but this dress truly is incredible. But instead of being able to go over there and compliment her you're stuck here talking to some guy you’ve already forgotten the name of.

   You down the rest of your drink with a sigh, you're well past being subtle with these people, and your gaze once again flits over to the Russian. You smirk as you see her relaxed state on the sofa, you're glad she's being left alone. But that feeling of ease is short lived and you watch her face quickly harden when a man sits down right next to her. 

   “If you’ll excuse me” you interrupt the babbling man, “I really must be going”

   You brush past him before even waiting for his response, catching his mumbles about how Tony Stark wouldn't have been as rude, but you couldn't care less about your public opinion right now. All you cared about was getting Mr. Greasy slicked back hair away from the friend and team member you just so happened to have a crush on.

   “Hey Natasha” you greet, cutting off the man mid sentence, making him scowl and the woman beside him smile, “You looked like you could use some company”

   “She has all the company she needs right here.” he retorts, tossing his arm around her shoulders. She automatically stiffins under his touch but he seems oblivious, “Ain’t that right sweetheart?”

   She quirks a brow at him, and you just know that if this wasn’t a Stark fundraiser that she would have broken his arm in at least three separate places by now. And you would have broken his jaw. 

   “Actually” she says, elbowing him sharply to get him to unhand her, “I’d much rather be anywhere else, with anyone else”

   You chuckle at his expense while you offer her your arm and she gratefully accepts your offer, picking up her heels in her other hand. The man glares daggers at you both while holding the sore spot on his ribs and you both smirk at him.

   “You think that's bad?” She asks with faux pity, “Next time, if you touch a woman without her consent, I’ll break your hand.”

  You chuckle at his look of shock, “You’re lucky she only said hand.”

   He grumbles as you lead Nat away. You head for the balcony, it's a quiet place away from the party and being that only the Avengers have access to it, it will give you both the break you both want and the privacy you’d both secretly like as well.

   You enter the code in the keypad and open the door for her, she thanks you with a smile before stepping outside. She lets her heels fall to the ground next to one of the chairs as she continues over to the railing.

   “It's a beautiful night out” she says, leaning her arms against the metal as she overlooks the skyline

   “Yeah, it is. Really beautiful” you reply, only you weren’t looking at the skyline, you were looking at her silhouette against it as you came up beside her

   A minute or two of comfortable silence passes before either of you speak again, “Thanks for getting me away from that guy”

   “No problem. I knew you could handle it on your own, but I also knew that you've done enough of that tonight.”

   She hums in agreement, “Tell me about it. Tony owes me for all that I’ve put up with tonight.”

   You chuckle, “You mean not a single one of them caught your interest?” 

   “No, definitely not.” she scoffs, “None of those pompous assholes are what I dream about.”

   “Oh? And what does Natasha Romanoff dream of?” you tease

    Her palms suddenly feel sweaty and her heartbeat drums in her ears, was she really about to do this? Yes. Yes she was.

   “I dream of you.” she admits taking a shaky breath as she turns to face you, “All I do is dream of you”

   You hadn’t expected that response at all, but you're in no way upset with it. You lean in and cup her face with your hands, causing her heart to skip a beat, “You are all I can think about”

   She doesn’t hesitate to surge forward, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. Her confidence rises when your arms loop around her neck to keep her in place and she slides her tongue into your mouth. You eagerly allow her to deepen the kiss, and let a moan out into her mouth when her hands squeeze your hips. 

   She reluctantly pulls her lips away from yours to catch her breath, “Was that ok?”

   “That was great” you truthfully admit as your fingers play with the small hairs at the base of her neck. As you gaze into her eyes you finally admit what you’ve always wanted to say. “You're beautiful, Natasha. The most beautiful girl in the room, truly. Its no wonder so many approached you tonight”

Her cheeks flush and she lets out a soft giggle, “Were you jealous?”

   “Maybe a little bit”

   She pulls you even closer, letting her front press against yours, “Well, now you know that you don’t have to be. I’m all yours, if you’ll have me.”

   You answer her with another kiss, this one shorter than the previous one but just as full of passion, “There is no one else I’d want by my side”

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[glitchedrabbit]

aaand we’re back!!! Puppet boy chapter 2!!!

i’m losing my mind with school but it is done!!

Puppet Boy

Chapter 2:

Something was wrong, Tony could feel it almost instantly since that night. There was nothing wrong with him, health-wise, he was in perfect shape and had no health issues, he was prescribed sleep medication to help him doze off to sleep, but there was no effect with them, he only now takes them to leave less worry to his mom.

But recently, he’s been acting even stranger according to Ellis, he’s been less aware and more zoned out and absent-minded, nothing like him at all. Tony Becker, always watching and learning, listening and writing out his discoveries; is now sitting around staring blankly at nothingness.

”Tony!” Ellis yelled out, finally pulling Tony out of his head.

“Jeez man, are you going deaf too?” Ellis chuckled, pulling him away from a crowd he was close to crashing into.

He was walking down the hall, notebook in hand, supposedly writing, but when he looked down at the opened book, he found nothing but a blank sheet. What was he going to write again?

”Sorry just— got really into the writing” he lied, slamming his notebook shut with one hand and holding it to his side, catching up to the same pace as Ellis and Greg.

The trio slid through the hall trying their best to avoid bumping into the other kids, eventually making it to their lockers and putting away their books.

“Are you still up with going to the Pizzaplex today Tony?” Ellis asked as he shut his locker and adjusted his backpack.

Tony rolled his eyes and scoffed.

”I already said I'm not allowed to go anywhere else after school anymore.” Tony pointed out. Ellis twisted his lips and sighed, he looked at Greg and raised a brow at him.

”What about you? Are you able to come with me, or do you also have an excuse to not come?” he teased, and Tony became reluctant. For some reason, he didn’t like the idea of Ellis being around Greg alone, especially when he had no clue of what his actions could be, Tony opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Greg.

“Yes, I'll be able to come with you, Ellis.” Greg finally responded, Ellis grinned, and his face seemed to immediately light up, he pulled Greg into a hug and cheered.

“Alright then! guess just the two of us this afternoon!!” Tony stared back at Greg, an unnerved feeling creeping up to his neck, he bit his lip.

“I could..” Tony hesitated, Ellis looked back at Tony with a gleeful smile, he assumed what Tony was going to say and already seemed excited, “I could…go I guess, my mom wouldn’t mind just this once.” He responded, Ellis cheered yet again, pulling both friends into his arms and wrapping his arms around the two boys’ necks,

“That’s the spirit man!” He smiled, wrapping his arms around the two boys' necks and beginning to walk out of the building.

—————————-

The Pizzaplex. Who knows how long it has been since Tony set foot into the building, he has been so scared to return, he had a whole lie about not being allowed to go anywhere alone after school, and he became fearful of this place, all because of that day. He only came today because he didn’t want the same for Ellis, his best friend, it’s only fair he does this, to prevent such an incident again.

Tony seldom took his eyes off of Greg the whole time they stayed there, and Greg noticed that he was, he would glance back at him now and then showing he was uncomfortable, but Tony didn’t seem to care. He was just trying to be a good friend, but at some point, he lost him.

Tony took his eyes off for a minute, looking around the arcade cabinets and still noticing GGY on the screen leaderboard, he felt regret rushing in like a wave. If only he listened to what everyone told him, maybe then he wouldn't be in such a situation, always itching for a mystery to be solved, only to become a mystery himself.

Tony glanced around, Greg was nowhere in his point of view anymore, Ellis was still at the arcade machine, eyes focused deeply onto the screen, his fingers tapping the buttons and his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth, having no other thoughts besides the game.

“Ellis, where's Greg?” Tony asked Ellis hummed in response, and Tony asked again.

“Ellis. Where's Greg.” having a bit more of an assertive tone this time. Ellis glanced around, looking to his left, where he once was, then to Tony, he turned back to his game.

“I don't know dude, he probably ran off, he's been acting strange lately…” Ellis didn’t seem to genuinely care what was happening around him, nor about the situation, his eyes darted side to side as he stared at the screen, jaw clenched. “Both of you have been acting strange.” He admitted, then went back to clicking on the buttons of the arcade cabinet.

Tony rolled his eyes and walked off in frustration at Ellis, some friend, Tony thought to himself. He didn't seem to hold onto that grudge for a long time, he's used to his best friend acting this way, but it does annoy Tony to the rotten core. Maybe it's because he is more mature than his best friend, Ellis.

Either way, Tony continued to walk around the Fazcade in search of Greg. He glanced at every short brown-haired boy he saw, he was nowhere. Tony began to feel a dread grow, there was no sign of Greg, he's checked everywhere. His ears began to ring, he could hear his breathing lose its rhythm, and his vision began to blur from the corner of his eyes.

Is this one of those episodes again, or is it a panic attack? Tony was not sure. He sat down at a nearby chair and began focusing on his breath,

“you're okay, you're okay.” He mumbled to himself. He closed his eyes shut to stop the throbbing pain piercing through his skull, after what felt like minutes, Tony seemed to settle down.

He kept his eyes shut, just his luck, he thought to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose. At least Ellis was okay, but that didn't mean it could be happening to someone else, he shot up scanning the area.

No one seemed to be in any sort of trouble or scared, everyone was smiling and laughing while either playing or watching a friend play, walking around talking their own stories and gossiping, it was all okay, everyone was okay.

That's when Tony finally spotted him, creeping around through a crowd of kids to the elevator, Tony scattered to his feet, his headaches magically disappeared into thin air and he ran down the stairs watching his step to avoid tripping and falling to the ground, cause that would DEFINITELY cause attention to him, he glanced back up to find the elevator door closing, “crap.” Tony mumbled under his breath.

He bit his lip, praying and hoping he would be able to catch up to Greg, if not. Who knows where he could be in a place this huge?

Tony ran to the elevator door, spamming the down button, the people around him looked at him suspiciously, and he chuckled awkwardly, trapping his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

The elevator door finally opened, he rushed inside and waited for others to enter, they were all then taken back to the auditorium. Tony rushed out and glanced at each side, Greg was nowhere yet again, Tony cursed under his breath.

“Come on Becker, think, think.” He rubbed his forehead thinking maybe it'll get his brain to start working. The backrooms of the Pizzaplex, his dream, he had considered himself crazy for thinking it, but he had to have that dream for some reason. Tony nodded to himself rushing through the pizzaplex and sneaking through the staff.

He made it, He found an entrance not so guarded and managed to sneak his way to the back of the pizzaplex, but he had no idea where exactly to go. He’s only been walking around mindlessly and when he hears some of the staff walking around he’s quick to hide, but he hasn’t heard them in a while now.

Suddenly he heard footsteps again, but they weren’t heavy like an adult's, they were light and quiet, Tony stood still in his tracks listening to the newly discovered steps, they were right around the corner. Tony hid behind the wall waiting for the footsteps to walk by, his heart raced out of his chest, and once he heard them grow closer he prayed the person wouldn’t turn the corner to his hall, once the steps passed he crept to the end of the hall and peeked out.

There he was, Greg. He found him, he looked stressed, his pace matching his emotion, Tony almost began to sneak down the hall, but hesitated, it seemed Greg had no idea he was being followed and with the way Tony’s trust has been with him lately, he was overthinking the worst case scenario.

Instead, he tread softly behind him, hiding behind boxes and what seemed to be carts full of dirty laundry, eventually Greg made it to a destination, they seemed far from the pizzaplex, the faint music that Tony had heard before was completely gone, and the only sound is the sound of the old fluorescent lights buzzing, that’s another thing, this area of the pizzaplex seems abandoned and no longer used, what could Greg possibly be doing around here.

Greg pushed through the doors and walked in, Tony had enough, he rushed to the door and slid in, Greg turned around and his expression was in full surprise.

“Tony?” he said astounded, Tony walked to him hands in fist, pulled Greg by the shoulders, and made direct eye contact at him.

“What are you doing here?” Greg asked again, Tony didn’t answer, he wanted his questions answered first.

“I could ask you the same question, Greg.” Tony alluded, Greg bit his lip, glanced around the area, and dragged Tony down to the dark hall, Tony yelped as he was pulled from his stance.

”I didn’t want to tell you this because I knew you weren’t going to like it.” Greg responded, he kept his eyes forward, avoiding any eye contact with Tony. Tony grit his teeth and yanked away from Greg’s grip, Greg turned around.

”Tell me what?” Tony yelled, “How do you expect me to not be mad? I've been acting so differently since that day we hung out, and the only thing you have told me was about a virus!” his body shook, was it adrenaline or fear? Either way, he was going mad with all of this nonsense happening in his life, he needed answers, and he wasn’t letting Greg get away this time. “So tell me. What happened that afternoon!”

Greg seemed calm, but also tense; he was acting extremely off and Tony could notice this. He then raised his hands to try and reassure Tony, “Tony, keep your voice down!” he whispered, glancing around the room more, he was looking for someone.

“You expect me to just be calm and collected after two weeks! I’ve been losing my mind!” Tony panicked, “You have to tell me what’s wrong, if not, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me!” He begged, hands gripping onto Greg’s arms.

Greg watched Tony lamentably, his eyes glistening in the only source of light that lit the room, he watched Tony with them, he could see his fear, He stared blankly at his friend.

“Tony..I—“

A loud thud echoes into the room, and the two boys jolt and turn toward the sound, at the door, a tall figure stands still. Tony took a closer inspection at the figure, they seemed to be in a sort of suit, they had glowing red eyes and rabbit ears, the rabbit held a knife in one hand and twirled it around as if it was some toy. Tony glanced at Greg, he frowned at Tony as he walked over to the tall figure walking towards them.

”Vanny, you’re here.” he hesitated, and Vanny only scoffed, pushing him aside and walking toward Tony instead.

“You can quit the act now Rab, he’s here now.” A slight robotic voice spoke, it was a woman. There was a person in the suit, their movements were fluid and their steps were light, graceful even, she gripped her knife with cherish.

Tony backed away from Vanny as she crept closer to him, Her eyes were cartoonishly large and glowing red, her mask had a wide-open grin, her entire suit seemed home made, there were patches that did not match the color of the suit and you could see the hand sewn stitches from his point of view, but he couldn’t read her expression at all, he had no idea what this person was thinking.

“Wait, Rab?” Tony remembered, Rab. The story, Greg’s pen name. It all finally came together for Tony, that afternoon at the pizzaplex, the weird dream, was a memory, something about that afternoon, Greg was behind all of this, and he did something to him.

“Did you honestly think that he had no idea you were following him?” Vanny giggled behind her grinned bunny mask, “The boss wants to see you, finally, one-on-one they said.” Tony panicked as he stared into the eyes of Vanny, he lost focus of his own steps and tripped on his own feet, slamming head-first down onto the ground, and everything went dark yet again.

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Second Chance - Chapter 4

Masterlist

Warning: mention of weight loss, reader lowkeye almost blacks out, mention of medication, Tony is a good dad

Relationships: Tony x daughter!reader, Yelena x reader

Word count: 2.5k

Goodness, you were nervous. Your leg would not stop bouncing. The only time you had this much anxiety was your first doctor’s appointment. Every sense then, you got used to going alone, holding the weight of whatever news you received on your shoulders alone. Why was it so hard being here with someone? You glanced at Tony through the corner of your eye. He seemed equally as nervous as you waited for a nurse to call you back. He was hiding it, focused on whatever he was looking at on his tablet. But he was stiff as if he was glued to the chair he sat in. And when the nurse called your name, you both jumped - lost in whatever world your mind was creating.

You followed the nurse to the back, stepping on the scale to get your weight before heading to a room. “How are you feeling, angel?” She asked as you sat in the chair next to the desk. Tony sat in the chair in the corner.

“I’m doing good, Pam,” you made a note to remember the name of every nurse at the office. They were all saints and on your gift-giving list for Christmas.

“Are you just saying that because your father is here?” She questioned as she took your temperature. “97.8.” She documented it on your chart. Next, she placed the blood pressure cuff on your arm. It was your least favorite part, you hated how tingly your arm felt. You gave her a sheepish smile.

“Just the normal fatigue and light-headedness,” you admitted, looking down at the pattern on the floor. She took off the cuff and shook your arm to regain the feeling.

“Blood pressure is normal,” she sat down at the computer. “You’ve lost some weight since your last appointment. Are you eating?”

“Yes Pam,” you sighed. “Food just tastes weird.” You loved Pam but every time she was your nurse you felt like you were being scolded like a little kid.

“Protein powder and shakes,” she said. “And try small proteins throughout the day instead of three big meals.” You nodded.

“I’ll make sure she’s eating,” Tony said. “We all will.” You knew he meant that.

“Do you need any refills on your medications?” She asked. Your medical team had you on Zofran for nausea and a higher milligram of ibuprofen when your body ached. On the off chance, that ibuprofen wasn’t working you had muscle relaxers. But you didn’t like taking those. “Perfect. Dr. Carpenter will be right with you,” she said, standing up. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart, and call if you need anything.”

“I will,” you smiled. “Thank you.” Once she was gone, you stood up and sat on the exam table so you could lie down before Dr. Carpenter came in. You loved that man but boy he had a lot of energy.

“Hey,” you looked at Tony. “How are you?” He asked softly.

“Sleepy,” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes. He smiled.

“Well, we can go back to the tower and you can take a nap or we can go get lunch. Nurse Pam did say you need to eat,” you rolled your eyes and placed your arm over your forehead.

“I eat,” you said. Not enough but at least you were eating. You sighed. “Let’s go get lunch. Free food is good food.”

“Oh I’m paying now,” you smiled. Before he could come up with a clever retort the door opened.

“There she is,” Dr. Carpenter said, closing the door behind him. You sat up to meet the excited doctor. “How are you? Still kicking ass and taking names.” You smiled, rolling your eyes slightly as he gave you a quick hug instead of a handshake.

“Something like that,” you said. He turned his attention to Tony.

“And the man of the hour,” he extended his hand for Tony to take. The billionaire’s body shook by the intensity. “Dr. Lucas Carpenter,” he pulled up a chair to sit down closer to you and Tony. “When the nurses told me she didn’t come alone, I almost fell out of my chair. I’ve been telling this one to reach out to when we found out about her diagnosis but she’s as stubborn as her mother.”

“I’ve been beginning to notice,” you sighed, crossing your arms. They were talking about you as if you weren’t here. Dr. Carpenter laughed.

“I’ve been lucky to see this little firecracker grow up,” you saw Tony shift in his seat, the change went unnoticed by the doctor. “Somethings don’t change. So,” he crossed his right leg over his left and leaned back in the chair. “Have you told him everything?”

“Yes,” you said. Well, not everything but baby steps. “He and the other Avengers have been tested to see if they are a match.” The doctor smiled. You knew he was proud of you, you fought tooth and nail against him and the rest of your medical team to find a different way.

“If by chance we don’t find a match, what’s the next step?” Tony asked.

“Plan B,” you sighed.

“Plan B,” Dr. Carpenter repeated.

“What the hell is plan B?” The doctor grabbed a tablet and handed it to the billionaire. You knew it was your medical chart; blood work and other tests. It was a screen you’d stared at for a long time.

“Plan B is increasing her treatment,” he began. “Right now she is on a 3-week cycle- double dosage of chemo on week one, only one dose the following week, and then a week off.” Last week was your week woof, your double dose was tomorrow. “If we don’t find a match, she’ll have to get chemo every week and it be more intense.” Tony handed him back the tablet. You kept your eyes on the floor.

“What are the side effects of this Plan B?” He asked. The doctor sighed.

“Pretty much the same ones she’s experiencing now - nausea, fatigue, headache, and appetite loss but they could be more common and intense,” he explained. “It’s not even a guarantee it will work,” you stole a glance at Tony but he kept his face neutral. “However that is Plan B and we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to take it one step at a time, right?”

“Right,” you smiled. When you were younger, some kids were picking on you. You remember you sat in your room with your mom’s arms around you tight and you felt warm and safe. She said, ‘You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.’ Back then you weren’t sure what she meant, you just wanted those kids to stop being mean. But now those words were one of the few things keeping you alive.

*

“Thank you,” you said to the waitress who placed your order down.

“Let me know if you need anything,” she said mostly to Tony. She fluttered her eyelashes and stuck her chest out. You cringed at the pathetic attempt at flirting with a married man no less. But Tony paid no attention to her, more focused on putting ketchup on his food. You cleared your throat. The sound caused Tony to look up at you and then to the waitress.

“Oh uh will do,” she smirked and walked away, taking his awkward rambling as a sign he found her attractive. You chuckled.

“She wanted to fuck you,” you said, taking a bite of your sandwich and you were grateful it tasted okay. It was his turn to cringe.

“Please never say that again,” you laughed, sipping on your water. “So this Dr. Carpenter, you like him?” You could feel the underlying jealousy behind every word. You knew he touched a nerve every time the doctor brought up your mom or the past in some way. You nodded.

“Yeah,” you said. “He’s been positive during this whole process despite how serious it is. But I did like your idea of him touching base with Dr. Cho just in case I get sick at the tower,” you added on quickly. You did believe it was a good idea, especially with how uncertain everything was. He smiled.

“Good but enough about doctors,” he whipped his hands on the napkin. “Tell me more about you. Any lucky ladies or men I have to worry about?” You felt your body warm up and looked away.

“Nope,” you said. “Single as a pringle.” He raised a questioning eyebrow at you. “I’m not talking about my sex life with you.”

“I don’t want to know about your sex life,” he deadpanned. “As long as you are practicing safe sex. I can get you condoms or-”

“Oh my god. Stop,” you cut him off. His smile grew.

“This is nothing to be embarrassed about. This is an important conversation to have.” Tony tried to drop the smile but he was failing miserably. You groaned, covering your face with your hands.

“I’m not having this conversation with you at a sandwich shop of all places,” he laughed, taking your hands off your face.

“Alright, alright,” he said. “I’ll drop it, for now.” You glared at him. “But I’m serious tell me about your life before all this, the stuff your mother didn’t mention in her letters.” You stared at him.

“You read them?”

“Of course. I haven’t finished all of them but I want to know what I missed.” Oh. The more time you spent with the billionaire he kept surprising you.

“Okay,” you smiled. “Yeah, I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

*

“I think that should be it, FRIDAY,” you said, crossing the last item off your list. You were in desperate need of groceries that weren’t going to upset your stomach, especially with your appointment tomorrow.

“Right away, Miss. Easton,” the AI said. “I’ll place the order and have them brought up to you when they arrive at the tower.” Perfect. The kitchen was put together, food was ordered, and your clothes were organized. Next on your list was to hang up some of your canvases. You swallowed an ibuprofen with a tall glass of water and ignored the ache in your bones. All you had to do was push through. You lifted a box onto the couch so it was easier to go through. Your mom always told you you had a spending problem. Whenever you traveled you bought something but you justified it by getting stuff from local artists or small businesses. Smiling, you put some pottery on a small bookshelf. Above the bookshelf, you wanted to hang up a three-piece art insulation that captured a pride of lions. You picked up a hammer and held a nail in your mouth when the room began to spin. “Shit,” you mumbled, resting your forehead on the wall.

“Miss. Easton,” the AI said. “I detect your blood pressure elevating. Should I alert the medical team?” You shook your head. That was a mistake. Black spots covered your vision and the nausea you were feeling only got worse.

“I’m good,” you managed to set the hammer and nail down before slumping to the ground. Your back was against the space on the wall and you grabbed onto the leg of the bookshelf. It grounded you and helped combat the room spinning. You whimpered and closed your eyes. Maybe you weren’t okay. You were just too stubborn to ask for help.

*

Yelena had a plan, all she had to do was unlock Kate’s door and plant the noise device. In a trade of Tony finishing it, she took the test to see if she was a bone marrow match. To be fair, she was going to take the test but why not kill two birds with one stone and ask for a small favor? “Miss. Belova,” FRIDAY said, causing her to stop in front of the archer’s door. “Miss. Easton requires your assistance.” Yelena looked towards your door and hesitated. With a sigh, she rushed over to your room. The door was unlocked and Yelena called out your name. Instead of you answering, the Black Widow heard a groan. You were sitting on the ground, head resting in your hands.

“Hey, Easton,” Yelena gently closed the door and knelt in front of you. “Hi, are you with me?” She whispered, rubbing her finger up and down your arm. It took a moment but you looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Blondie,” you said. “What-what are you doing here?”

“Miss. Belova was the closest one to you,” the AI informed you. “I asked her to come check on you when I noticed you were in distress.” You sighed, resting your head back.

“Are you okay?” Yelena asked. “I can go get Stark or Pepper or-”

“I’m fine,” you cut off her nervous rambling. “I just,” you let out a shaky breath, and your eyes locked onto her green ones. “I-”

“What do you need from me?” Yelena found herself asking. The words tumbled past her lips without a second thought. But the way you looked at her made her heart skip.

“Can you sit with me?” You softly asked. “Just until the world stops spinning.” Yelena wordlessly sat down next to you, knees bent and she rested her forearms on top. She couldn’t help but look around your space. It was the same layout she had. Unlike the apartment she helped clean out, the place was a mess. There were boxes everywhere, newspapers on the floor, and very little stuff hung up on the wall. Yelena knew it was because you were still moving in and trying to make this bare space your new home. The Black Widow expected the place to be organized, all pristine and decorated. You seemed like that type of person.

“Your place is a mess,” Yelena said, breaking the silence. You gasped. “I’m serious,” she continued. “I can barely see the floor.”

“Oh shut up, Blondie,” you laughed. “It’s a work in progress.” Yelena hummed.

“If you say so,” you laughed again, hitting your shoulder against hers. She liked the sound of it. Oh, that was not good.

*

He was running the swaps he had available. There were a few that were on their way - the Barton’s in Iowa, Bruce in New Asgard, and Kate, America, and Rhodey were on their way back to the tower. But he had to know, it was killing him. As he waited for the tests, he paced the lap. He had to be a match, he could do this one thing for you. A ding sound pulled him out of his thoughts and he rushed over to his computer. Negative. Negative. Negative. That one word was all he saw. Until he saw something different. A positive. Someone was a match. His hands shook as he clicked on the profile. But the name made his stomach flip. Morgan. It was Morgan. How the hell was he going to tell you or Pepper?

_

taglist: @likemick,

[braveclementine]

On the Spaceship

Warnings: None

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

"In all the time I've served Thanos, I have never failed him. If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be judgment."

The needles that were around him, slowly pierced him. Stephen flinched, holding back his cries of pain. He brought up the image of Sam laughing in his head, focusing on that memory only. He was doing all of this for Sam.

"Give me. . . the stone."

Stephen could feel his entire body vibrating in pain. The needle in his cheek was the most painful, feeling like it was going to explode. Sam's face was starting to become blurry. He need to hold on.

If only for Sam.

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Tony leaned over the edge to see far below the wizard was being tortured. Something tapped him on the arm and he immediately reacted, pointing his blaster at the floating red cloak in the air. It held up its end flaps, almost in a surrendering gesture to show it was harmless.

"Wow, you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" Tony asked, heart beating a million miles an hour, but slowing. It started to speed right back up again though, when another voice suddenly cut in.

"Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty." He watched the spider kid drop from the ceiling, his mask coming off.

"What the-"

"I know what you're gonna say."

"You should not be here!"

"I was gonna go home-"

"I don't wanna hear it."

"But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way-"

"-and now I got to hear about it."

"-and kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way-"

"Damn it."

"-So if anything, it's kinda your fault that I'm here."

"What did you just say?"

"I-I take that back." He said very quickly. "And now, I'm here in space."

"Yeah, right where I didn't want you to be." He stepped right up to the kid and said quietly. "This isn't Coney Island, this isn't a field trip. This is a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don't pretend you thought this through."

"No, I did think this through."

"You could not have possibly thought this through."

"You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider- man if there's no neighborhood." There was a pause where they stared at each other and then he said, "Okay, that didn't really make sense, but you know why I'm trying to say."

Tony sighed. "Come on. We got a situation." They walked to the edge and he pointed, "See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? Go."

"Um. . . Okay, okay Um. . . Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?"

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Stephen cried out in pain. It wasn't so much seeing Sam's face as a human now, anymore. It was now when he had met Sam, when he had been a stoat. It had been so strange, turning into a creature like a stoat. Sam had found him just adorable.

Stephen found he had loved the affection and pets that Sam had given him, after he learned to accept the care. It had been hard at first, always thinking he was the most dominant, the smartest, all of it. But maybe he'd needed it, maybe that was why he had been the animal. To tone his ego down a little bit.

He loved Sam. So much. And if he didn't get to see him after this, at least he would be safe. Sam would be safe.

"Painful, aren't they? They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them-" He paused and Stephen saw Iron Man standing behind him, fully equipped in his suit and blasters pointed at the alien, "Could end your friends life in an instant."

"I gotta tell you he's not really my friend." Tony said and Stephen fought the urge to roll his eyes, even with the pain he was in. "Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy."

"You've saved nothing." The alien said, calling up a box behind him to throw at Stark. "Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."

"Yeah, but the kids seen more movies." Tony said.

Kid? What kid?

Stark shot the blaster at the spaceship, which ripped the alien out. Consequentially, it ripped Stephen out too. His cape grabbed his arm, but couldn't keep the grip. He felt something grab him from behind and then went out into space. His breath caught in his throat and then jolted before he heard someone shout, "Yes! Wait, what are those!"

Then he was being pulled inside again, and he landed harshly on metal. He wasn't even up on his feet when he heard a young, teenage voice said, "Hey, we haven't officially met." And then, "Cool."

"Gotta turn this ship around." Stephen muttered, pushing to his feet, his cloak settling on his shoulders.

"Yeah, now he wants to run. Great plan." Stark snipped as he walked by.

"No, I want to protect the stone." Stephen said. He could feel blood running down his face and knew Sam was going to kill him when he got home.

"And I want you to thank me." Stark responded. "Now, go ahead, I'm listening."

God, all of the advice that Y/N had given Sam on how to deal with egotistical dickheads really was true experience.

"For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

"Who just saved your magical ass? Me!"

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet." Stephen responded.

"Admit it, you should have ducked out when I told you to." Stark snapped. "I tried to bench you. You refused."

"Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you." Stephen snarked.

"And due to that fact, we're now in a flying doughnut billions of miles from Earth with no backup."

"I'm backup." The kid said, raising a hand.

"No, you're a stowaway." Stark responded. "The adults are talking."

"I'm sorry. I'm confused as to the relationship here. What is he, your ward?"

"No." The kid said. "I'm Peter, by the way."

"Doctor Strange." Stephen responded, not wanting to bring any anger out on the kid. It wasn't his fault. Although he also knew that Stark probably just wanted to get home to his wife and two kids. Although Stephen was also still pissed that Tony was the reason Sam was on the run.

"Oh, you're using our made-up names. Um. . . I'm Spider- man then."

"This ship is self-correcting its course. It's on autopilot." Stark said from up front.

"Can we control it." Stephen asked, not really wanting to end up at the location it was going for. "Fly us home?" When Stark didn't answer, Stephen barked, "Stark?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get us home?"

"Yeah, I heard you. I'm thinking I'm not so sure we should." Stark finally said.

"Under no circumstances can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos." Stephen growled through his teeth. "I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here."

"What? No. It's you who doesn't understand, that Thanos has been inside my head for six years. Since he sent an army to New York and now he's back." He was inches from Stephens face, spitting mad but Stephen didn't move an inch. "And I don't know what to do. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his, but you saw, what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor. Do you concur?"

Stephen felt a rush of emotions towards Stark. There was still anger over making Sam run and hide. But there was an admiration there on his thinking, and also a small rush of affection towards the first bit. Or perhaps not necessarily affection more. . . leniency?

"All right, Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand, if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone, I will not hesitate to let either of you die." Stephen said slowly and firmly. "I can't, because the universe depends on it."

"Nice. Good, moral compass." Stark responded, patting him on the arm, though Stephen could see the pain in the eyes as he moved away, his fingers touching his wrist where Y/N's animal name would've been. "We're straight." Stephen watched him walk away with his eyes. "All right, kid." He touched both his shoulders, "You're an Avenger now."

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Tony and Stephen had been standing at the front of the ship for a while. Tony was staring at a photo of him, Y/N, Everleigh, and Arlo. It was a new picture, only taken a few weeks ago. Professional pictures done on the Avengers Compound since Y/N couldn't leave.

It was an old fashioned thing to do, carry a photo of your family around. One that you could actually touch. One that if it was bent or folded over and over would crease. But he treasured it. And now he was glad that he had it.

He noticed then, that in the very back he had photos of some of the Avengers. He had never been sure why he hadn't tossed them, but something stopped him every time. He glanced over at the wizard and sighed a little, quickly flipping through them.

With the photograph face down, he held it out without looking at the wizard. When Stephen took it, he walked forwards to see that they were almost touching down on the planet.

"Hey, what's happening?" The kid asked.

Tony turned to see the kid and saw Stephen looking down at the photo. "I think we're here." Stephen said, tucking the photo into his pocket.

"I don't think this rig has a self-parking function." Tony said, walking back and looking at Peter, "Get your hand inside the steering gimbal. Close those around it." He closed it around his own arm, getting ready, bracing himself.

"You understand?"

"Yep, I got it."

"This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move at the same time."

"Okay, okay. Ready." They neared what look like a big star. "We might want to turn. Turn! Turn! Turn! Turn! Turn!" Peter repeated frantically over and over.

Tony closed his Iron man suit around him to help him out and the kid let the entire Spider-man suit close around him. Orange shield appeared around all of them as the wizard protected them, the ship coming apart around them.

"You all right?" Stephen asked, helping Tony to his feet.

"That was close." Was all he said. "I owe you one."

Peter came down from the ceiling, hanging upside down, "Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I'm sorry."

"I do not want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?" Tony asked, not wanting to think about aliens planting eggs in anyone at all.

"I'm trying to say that something is coming." Peter said, pointing his thumb behind him.

Well, maybe that's all he should have said.

Something suddenly landed by their feet, exploding. Tony went flying, as well as the wizard.

Tony flew around as another guy flew around. He tossed him off of him, but he pressed a button, an electrode attaching Tony to a piece of the ship. He grunted, trying to push off it. Tony finally managed to get off, planting his foot on another alien man with red lines on his chest.

"Everybody stay where you are. Chill the eff out." The man who had been flying said, his blaster pointed straight at Peter's head, his arms tied together. The man let his helmet down to show that he looked like a rather normal human being, "I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where is Gamora?"

"Yeah. I'll do you one better." Tony said frantically, also letting his helmet come down, "Who's Gamora?"

"I'll do you one better." The man below his foot grunted, "Why is Gamora?"

"Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I'm gonna French fry this little freak."

"Let's do it. You shoot my guy and I'll blast him. Let's go!" Tony shouted angrily.

"Do it, Quill! I can take it!" The guy below his blaster shouted.

"No, he can't take it!" The strange alien girl with feelers on her head, tied up by Peter's ropes shouted.

"She's right. You can't." Stephen said, almost in a bored tone.

"Oh Yeah? You don't wanna tell me where she is? That's fine. I'll kill all three of you and I'll beat it out of Thanos myself. Starting with you."

"Wait, what, Thanos?" Stephen asked quickly. "All right, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?"

"What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, 'Jesus'?" The Quill guy taunted.

"You're from Earth?" Tony asked.

"I'm not from Earth. I'm from Missouri." Quill said stupidly.

"Yeah, that's on Earth dipshit." Tony responded. "What are you hassling us for?"

"So you're not with Thanos?" Peter asked, letting his mask come down too.

Quil sounded disgusted as he answered, "With Thanos? No, I'm here to kill Thanos." He lowered his gun a little bit. "He took my girl. Wait, who are you?"

"We're the Avengers man." Peter said.

"Oh! You're the ones Thor told us about." The creepy insect girl said.

"You know Thor?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Tall guy, not that good looking, needed saving." Quil answered.

Needed saving. . . well if Thanos had blasted the ship apart, yeah he probably had needed saving. As for the good looking part. . . well Quil was probably just jealous because he wasn't much of a looker, in Tony's opinion.

"Where is he now?" Stephen asked.

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"The hell happened to this planet?" The guy, known as Peter Quil or Starlord, asked as they all stepped off the ship and onto the actual planet. "It's eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place."

"Yeah, we got one advantage. He's coming to us." Tony muttered, looking around. "We'll use it. All right, I have a plan." He was dismayed when he turned around and saw insect girl- Mantis fittingly enough- jumping up and down in a pocket of less gravity. "Or at least the beginnings of one. It's pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don't want to dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet." He spun around, "Are you yawning?"

Drax was indeed yawning and Tony went off on his rant, "In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?"

"I stopped listening after you said, 'we need a plan'." Drax said calmly.

"Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page." Tony sighed, looking back at Starlord.

"See, 'not winging it' isn't really what they do." Quil explained.

"Um, what exactly is it, that they do?" Peter asked quickly.

"Kick names, take ass." Mantis replied.

Drax agreed with her.

Tony sighed. There were a lot of things that he could say, but quite frankly, he didn't want to waste the energy. He just wanted to finish this, kill the stupid bastard, and get home to his family. Maybe saving the universe would get Y/N off house arrest and they could go out to an amusement park or something.

"All right, just get over here please. Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?"

"'Mr. Lord'. Star-Lord is fine." Quil answered calmly. He nodded his head so Drax and Mantis came forwards. Peter backed up a few inches.

"We gotta coalesce. 'Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude-"

"Dude, don't call us plucky." Quil interrupted. "We don't know what it means. All right, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way it might be really good."

"Tell him about the dance off to save the universe." Drax encouraged.

"What dance-off?" Tony asked, intrigued.

"It's nothing." Quil said quickly.

"Like in footloose, the movie?" Peter asked.

"Exactly like Footloose." Quil said excitedly. "Is it still the greatest movie in history?"

Great. There were two of them.

"It never was."

"Don't encourage this, all right?" Tony asked. "We're getting no help from Flash Gordon here."

"Flash Gordon? By the way, that's a compliment." Quil said from behind him. "Don't forget, I'm half human. So that fifty percent of me that's stupid, that's one hundred percent you."

"Your math is blowing my mind." Tony retorted.

"Excuse me." Mantis interrupted. "But does your friend often do that?"

Stephen was floating above a rock, green tendrils wrapped around his wrists. His head was jerking back and forth, side to side, up and down in weird movements. "Strange are we all right?" Tony shouted at him. Tony walked over to him and when Stephen dropped down, Tony put pressure on him so that he didn't fall off the rock. He knelt in front of him.

"You're back. You're all right." Tony said firmly.

"Hi."

"Hey, what was that?" Peter asked, sounding a little frightened from behind them.

Stephen was still breathing heavily as he explained, "I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."

"How many did you see?" Quil asked from behind Tony.

"Fourteen million six hundred and five." Stephen replied.

"How many did we win?" Tony asked, dreading the answer. He could already read it on the wizards face.

"One."

[aeg1ss]

Ways to say "I love you"

A short, amateur Lokius fanfic - all characters belong to Marvel.

---

Love. Love, love, love. What's it good for? How to prove it? By sacrificing oneself for the other? Or by sacrificing the world for them?

    Something Loki could never quite place his finger on was a way to show love. The God of Mischief let out a quiet groan, a botanic book with the flowers' meanings in front of him as he tried to find the best kind to surprise his boyfriend. It had only been a day since he figured out a way to leave Yggradsil, and he had yet to meet with Mobius - or as he called himself now, Don.

    Eyes scanning the pages, his black hair a mess, his black suit as fitting as ever, an annoyed expression on his face. Why did so many flowers mean love? Just how many were there? Roses, Forget-Me-Nots, Peonies, Orchids... How was he supposed to choose?

"I give up." The God sighed, snapping his fingers and transforming the book into a bouquet of... well, every flower he could think of. From Roses all the way to Edelweiss, passing by Daisies and Delphiniums. He stared at the bouquet for a moment and added a pink ribbon. Pink represents love on midgard after all, right? He took a deep breath and opened himself a portal near Mobius' house.

    Another deep breath. It's going to be okay. He fixed his tie, suit and hair and approached the front yard, getting knocked off his feet and landing on the ground with flowers all over the place, a puppy husky standing on his chest, wagging its tail happily and licking his face, letting out occasional barks. He gasped, trying to push the dog off himself, but being unable to. Did a puppy just defeat the God of Stories?

"Ivy! Ivy, get off him." Loki heard a familiar voice. His face turned dark red within a moment. How embarrassing was that? The pup whined, ears and tail down as it eventually got off him. Mobius approached him and smiled with slight amusement, a hint of adoration in his eyes as he held out his hand to help him get up. "I recall you throwing off Tony Stark off a tower, but you're unable to fight off a two month old dog?" The man teased him, making Loki roll his eyes. He got up and wiped his face, looking at the flowers with a sad expression.

"I'm truly sorry, Mobius. I was trying to surprise you with flowers and I wasn't sure which ones symbolize what and I knew midgardians care for that for some reason and it turned out that so many of them represent love and I just gave up and got each flower that symbolizes love and-" The God took a deep breath in to calm himself down after his fast and incoherent answer. He smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I wanted this to go differently. I didn't know that you own one of those midgardian monsters now."

"Monsters?" Mobius' eyebrow went up, his amusement growing even more. "Sean and Kevin would hate you if they heard that!" He let out a lighthearted chuckle and looked at the flowers. "It's still really sweet you went through all this trouble for me. Thank you, Loki." His amusement died down and he was left with a loving look on his face, eyes focused on the taller man. "But... There are more ways to say 'I love you'."

"Such as?" The Asgardian looked a little taken aback by Mobius' statement, his eyes narrowed a little. The older man pulled him in, one hand wrapped at the back of his neck and the other resting on his cheek as he pecked his lips. Loki looked away slightly embarrassed by the sudden show of affection. "Oh. Right." He chuckled awkwardly, a hint of fondness in his eyes.

    The visit certainly will be an unforgettable one.

    What a shame he has to go back within a week...

---

Frankly, I don't know what this is, I was just extremely bored in biology and didn't want to calculate the density of granite hence... Whatever this is.

[irondadidontfeelsogood]

A Darkness No One Can Stomach

cw: vomit

—————

There was one day in 2008 where Happy begged Tony to petsit his dog. The dog was small enough, and the list of things to do for him could fit on a post-it note, but Tony was lost. He felt so completely stranger to the feeling of caring for another living thing that it took some heavy convincing. In the end, he’d been able to take the dog out when he needed to go and feed him at the right times, but he always felt on edge. Like he must be doing something wrong.

Still, he’d take that stress every day over what he’s feeling now. What he feels now isn’t just a vague sense of uneasiness. He’s petrified.

He’s been petrified since the very day lawyers reached out and informed him of May’s will.

How could he care for a kid? He can barely take care of himself—Pepper does that for him most of the time. How can he look at this poor boy who just lost the last blood relations he had left and be expected to comfort him?

He doesn’t know the first thing about parenting a kid.

When they’d arrived with Peter’s things earlier that afternoon, silence rung out louder than any sound could dream of being. They dropped his things up in his room, and when Peter requested to be left alone, they were the first words he’d said all day.

Tony paced around the flat, debating going down to the lab and attempting some degree of normalcy before deciding against it. If Peter came out of that room, he was not going to be met with more empty space.

Tony was going to be there for him, even if the only way he knew how to right now was physically.

Eventually, he was hit with the realization that Peter hasn’t eaten all day—probably in the last two days. For a kid built like him, that must be painful.

Tony made some of what he would consider comfort food, hopefully filling up the space with warm, soothing ambience. He has no idea what he’s doing. This is all he can think of.

He walks toward Peter’s door slowly. God, Peter’s door. That’ll be his door permanently now. Tony’s so out of his depth.

He hesitates and then finally knocks on the door, leaning in. He hears nothing in response. “Hey, Pete?” He tries, met with nothing again. Maybe he’s asleep. “Peter?” Nothing.

Tony is suddenly hit with the ice-cold weight of realizing that Peter could’ve done something terrible to himself. Tony feels sick with it. “Peter, I need you to make some sort of noise, alright? Just let me know you’re hearing me.” He leans in and focuses hard, and he finally hears Peter groan. The surge of relief is dizzying. “Thank God...okay, kiddo...I—could I come in for a minute?”

A muffled sound that sort of seems like affirmation comes from the other side, and he finds that the door had been unlocked all along. Poking his head in, he realizes the sun has gone down, and Peter is laying on the bed in almost total darkness. The only light in the room is what’s spilling in from the doorway.

“I’ve got some dinner ready out here, kid. I need you to try to eat for me, cause I know you haven’t eaten today.” It’s silent for a second, and Peter just lays there with his sunken eyes barely cracked open. He shakes his head just barely. Tony sighs. “I know you don’t feel like it, Pete, but your metabolism is too fast. If you want to go on a hunger strike, we’re gonna have to bring in Dr. Cho, and I know you definitely don’t want that, yeah?”

Peter shakes his head again, faster this time, but makes no move to get up. The look in his eyes makes Tony’s heart crumble. He can’t do this.

“Just come out and try for me, okay? You can come right back in here after if you want. Please,” he tries, about two seconds away from recruiting Pepper over the phone.

Very slowly, Peter pulls himself off of the mattress. It looks like he hadn’t even had the energy to get under the comforter. Tony’s heart is going to give out looking at the kid walking towards him.

“Thank you, Pete. Let’s go get some grub. Can’t promise it’ll be great, cause Pepper’s not here, but I really did try, alright? C’mon,” he says, deciding to lay a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder as they walk. He doesn’t know what to do. He just can’t seem to help.

Peter sits at the table and immediately buries his head in his crossed arms, curls sticking out everywhere. It would be cute if it wasn’t because he was actively grieving, unable to care for himself. Tony sighs again, finishing up Peter’s plate and bringing it over to him.

He gently taps Peter’s arm and announces the arrival of his food before turning around and getting his own plate. When he returns to the table, he’s surprised to see Peter’s head actually up. He’s got his fork inside some mashed potatoes, just sitting there.

Tony sits across from him, giving him a soft, awkward smile as he tucks into his own food. “Just a few bites, kiddo, nothing too bad. Pepper would kill me if I let you go to bed on an empty stomach.”

Peter grimaces. “I...I don’t feel...” he starts, but doesn’t continue.

“Just a few bites,” he urges gently.

Peter looks at him for a few seconds and then at the food, and Tony can actually hear his stomach growl. He pauses before taking the first bite. Tony tries not to stare and make him uncomfortable while also trying not to show his own discomfort. How can he help someone who’s grieving when he never fully finished grieving his own parents?

They eat in silence.

To Tony’s surprise, Peter doesn’t stop at just a few bites. He keeps going, and Tony can’t help but pat himself on the back and feel relieved. That’s one thing checked off the list of making sure Peter’s taken care of, he guesses. He hopes May isn’t somewhere out there regretting her decision.

He hopes Peter doesn’t regret her decision.

Once they’re almost both done, Tony finally speaks up again. “So, I thought that maybe—I mean, you can do what I said before and go back to bed, but...I thought maybe you might want to watch some Star Wars tonight?” Peter looks up, and there’s a complicated mess in his eyes. Tony doesn’t know how to decipher it. “It’s just, I don’t sleep well when I’m stressed, or, you know...just overwhelmed. I thought I’d give you a chance to avoid staying up by yourself if you’re the same way.”

Peter, looking rougher than he’s looked all day, begins to tear up. Tony’s heart sinks. He flounders for something redeemable to say, but Peter cuts him off.

“That’s...really nice of you, Mr. Stark, I...I’d like to, um. I’d like to do that, I think,” he says, voice so unlike himself. He’s so pale. Nevertheless, Tony slowly melts back into a smile, panic mostly diverted.

They finish eating, and Tony announces he’s going to set up the TV and grab some blankets. He tells Peter to go grab anything he wants in the meantime. Peter doesn’t move.

Tony cringes a bit as he walks away, knowing the only thing Peter really wants is what he can never have again.

After he grabs his best blankets and a few pillows and pulls up a set of the first Star Wars movies, he heads back to the kitchen. He finds Peter with his head buried in his sleeves again. His back rises and falls rather alarmingly.

“Hey, Pete, everything’s set up over here.” Peter doesn’t respond. “You know, if you really do just want to go lie down, that’s totally okay.” More silence. “Could you just let me know-“

Peter’s back lurches a bit, and a harsh gushing sound erupts from below the table. Tony stands back with wide eyes, entirely shocked as he realizes Peter has started losing his dinner all over the floor and himself.

“Oh, shit, shit—okay,” he starts, rushing to the cabinets and cringing when he hears the sound of another wave splattering onto the tile. He grabs a plastic mixing bowl and gets back to Peter as fast as he can. Holding it under him, he lays a steadying hand on Peter’s back, rubbing softly. “It’s okay that you’re throwing up, alright? I didn’t mean to freak out on you. Just shocked me, that’s all.”

He’s never had to deal with parenting a kid, not to mention a sick one. He can’t even tell if it’s grief or not. He makes a mental note to ask FRIDAY about his temperature. Suddenly, he remembers what Peter was saying before they ate. He was trying to tell him that his stomach didn’t feel good, and he was just so focused on doing the right thing that he totally bypassed it. Shit.

“Oh, God, kid. You tried to warn me that you felt sick, didn’t you?” Guilt is black tar dripping in his heart.

Peter doesn’t answer, because he can’t. Tony tries not to flinch when he sprays a mouthful of vomit into the bowl. He coughs, and it turns into a retch almost immediately. He continues to throw up violently, and that’s when Tony knows this can’t be just grief. Poor kid is getting hit by life on all sides.

When he gets a break to breathe, he starts whimpering, and Tony feels like he’s going to pass out from heartbreak. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. Well, it’s not really alright, but it—it will be, okay? It will be.” Peter’s breathing picks up, and he starts to sob. “Oh, Pete...c’mere.” He brings Peter’s head to rest against his chest. It’s all he can think to do.

He might be getting tears and vomit on his t-shirt, but he doesn’t care. He’s being assaulted with almost all stages of fatherhood at once. But it’s not about him, it’s about Peter. If anyone’s getting life thrown at them all at once, it’s Pete. He holds him closer at the thought.

Peter’s shoulders tremble with the breathless sobs he chokes out, wrapping his arms around Tony’s torso and gripping onto his shirt with a white-knuckles grip.

“I want May,” he finally weeps.

It knocks the wind out of Tony. He’s not made to survive this kind of sorrow.

“Kid, I...I know you do. It’s okay that you do...but I’m so sorry that you have to miss her.” Words will never be enough—nothing will. “I also know I can’t be her, and I can’t begin to replace her, but I’ll do anything you need me to do, okay? Anything.” He’s never meant anything more in his life. This is a promise he can’t break.

Peter keeps crying, muttering incoherently under his breath, and Tony remembers his mental note from earlier. “Hey, FRI? Help me out here. What’s his temp?” he calls.

“Mr. Parker’s internal temperature is currently 100.1 degrees Fahrenheit.”

“Okay, uh, that’s okay, right? I don’t need to call anyone?”

“Medical assistance is not necessary at this time.”

“Thanks.”

“Mr. Stark...”

Tony looks down at the mop of curls pressed against his chest. “Yeah, buddy?”

“That was so gross,” he whimpers.

“Can’t argue with that, kiddo. You think you can manage a shower without braining yourself on the tile?” Peter hiccups, nodding just barely. “Okay. You can leave your dirty clothes in the bathroom across from your room. Everything you need should be in there, just call me if you need anything, alright?” Another nod. Tony helps him up out of the chair and tells FRIDAY to keep an eye on his vitals as he cleans up.

In the silence of the kitchen, Tony let’s the shock sink in. He’s got a kitchen decorated with vomit and a kid with a fever down the hall, and the responsibility falls completely on him. He shouldn’t have forced him to eat. He feels a kind of guilt he hasn’t felt since he took the kid’s suit away a good while ago.

After allowing himself to process the feeling for a minute, he starts the stomach-turning task of cleaning the kitchen. It’s a struggle not to add to the mess when he first sets to it, but he’s oddly desensitized by the end. He requests updates from FRIDAY multiple times, being met with the same response each time: Mr. Parker is in the shower, temperature slightly elevated.

He finds comfort in the fact that he hasn’t received any alerts from the baby monitor protocol and heads over to the living room. Looking over the setup, he wonders if he should put everything away. He stands there for a moment, and in his indecision, shuffling footsteps can be heard approaching.

Tony’s eyes quickly settle on Peter. His eyes are the type of swollen that only happens after a much-needed cry, but the kid has had too many of those lately. Tony watches as Peter walks closer, looking so small in his hoodie and sweats.

“Hey, kiddo. I was just about to pack all this up, I think.” Peter’s shoulders stiffen, and his expression tightens too. He shifts from one socked foot to another, eyeing the blankets on the couch. “That is, unless you’re still up for it.”

Peter seems relieved that Tony offered, nodding minutely. “I know I won’t sleep if...I just don’t want to try,” he admits, voice gravely from being sick.

“Yeah, I hear ya, kid, we can definitely still do it. Go ahead and get comfortable, I’m gonna grab a couple things.”

Tony heads back to the kitchen and retrieves a bin, a glass of water, and some fever reducers. When he comes back in, Peter is a lump of curly hair underneath the blankets.

“Alright, Pete, if you think you can, I want you to take some Tylenol, okay? You don’t have to, but here’s some water either way. I don’t want you to get dehydrated.” He hands the glass to Peter, who snakes an arm out from the covers and starts to sip.

He visibly musters up some bravery and takes the Tylenol, resting back against the cushions while they try to decide on something to watch. Tony sets the bin by Peter’s feet. They settle in, but Peter breaks the silence after a minute.

“M’really sorry I puked on the floor. I just didn’t feel like I could move,” he admits, color flushing up his neck.

“I meant it when I said it was okay, Pete. Did throwing up make your stomach feel better?”

Peter shrugged, then nodded. “Think so.”

“Well that’s good, I guess. But seriously, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad we get some time to relax after everything today, yeah?”

“Yeah. Me too,” Peter replies softly, finishing his water and lying his head down against the cushions.

It’s quiet after that, and once they finally decide on classic comfort choice Star Wars, it seems like things are looking up. Peter shifts so that his head can rest on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony would be lying if he said it didn’t make his heart bleed. It’s only been half a day, and he already feels like he would do anything to protect Peter.

God, Tony’s knows he’s screwed. He realizes quickly it’s the best type of screwed.

They’re about thirty minutes into the first movie, and Peter actually groans. Tony pauses the movie. “What was that about? You okay?”

Peter swallows twice, looking at Tony a little desperately. “I think the pills made my stomach hurt...c’n I have s’more water?” He asks, hand resting gingerly on the organ.

“Ah, shit. I wondered if that might happen, I’m sorry. Give me a second.”

The parent guilt hits in a fresh wave as he carries Peter’s glass over and has it refilled. He gets back as quickly as he can, handing the glass over to Peter. They settle back in, and Tony plays the movie.

He looks over at Peter every now and then, waiting for the discomfort to fade from his face. It doesn’t. Poor kid.

At about the halfway mark in the movie, Peter grabs his glass from the end table and starts to sip the last bit. Tony’s forgotten all about this scene in Episode I, and he’s glued to the screen. That is, until he hears Peter grunt in a choking sort of way.

He looks over to see Peter go for one more sip and watches him swallow it. Not even half a second later, Peter’s cheeks suddenly fill, and the water sprays right back into the cup. Before Tony can really react, Peter’s shoulders roll forward, and the glass fills to the brim.

In a moment of pure reflex, Tony quickly and carefully takes the glass away and replaces it with the bin. The glass is warm in his hand, and it makes him dry heave, setting poor Peter off again.

Tony sets the glass on the table and pauses the movie once more so he can place all of his attention on Peter. “It’s gonna be alright, kiddo, just let it come on up.” Another violent, oddly productive retch sends more vomit splashing against plastic. “That’s it, try to get a few breaths, kiddo.”

He tries, but the waves keep coming, hitching his breath every time. The water is tinted a sickly beige now, bringing up the last of his attempt at dinner.

He sits there burping and retching over the trash for several minutes, producing more sick in one night than Tony ever had after his benders. He tries not to be worried, and his work pays off when Peter finally stops, pushing the bin away.

“Done?”

Peter nods, face twisting up in sorrow. “Tony, I really don’t feel well,” he announces, as if it weren’t perfectly clear from his display seconds earlier. It breaks Tony’s heart all over again.

“I know, Pete, I’m sorry. It’s gonna be alright. Come here.” Tony brings the boy close, holding him as he shakes with fresh sobs.

He cries himself to sleep before Tony ever hits play on the remote.

——————

A/N: Hello again! Thanks for reading and have a great day :)

[khalixascorner]

Say it Loud(er)

Summary: When Tony goes before the Senate to protest an inhumane amendment to the Superhero Accountability Act, he doesn't mean to admit he loves Spider-Man on live CSPAN. Rather than recant his statement, Tony rolls with the punches and declares them married too. Now he just has to let Peter know before the press gets their hands on him.

Tags: Accidental Marriage, Public Confessions, no literally, it's mostly fluff with a little bit of spice right at the end.

Fill for Marvel Trumps Hate 2022

Read on AO3 Here

To say that Tony was irritated to be in front of the Senate again was an understatement. It felt like they had just resolved the mess with the Accords, with the House and Senate adopting the Superhero Accountability Act instead. It got rid of all of the worst parts of the Accords and focused instead on reasonable accountability. It had taken Tony months of negotiations and over a year of lobbying to get the more reasonable law passed. 

And now he was here again, all because Ross was capitalizing on a recent high profile case where an enhanced was the main suspect. The man hadn’t even been convicted yet but apparently, the evidence was damning enough that people were fear-mongering like they had when the Hulk first appeared. Of course Ross would jump at the opportunity and try to roll back all the good that the SAA did.

This new amendment to the SAA was a humanitarian crime and Tony wasn't going to sit back and let them undo all his hard work.

“Next to speak is Tony Stark,” a voice said, and Tony sighed again.

“Alright, Fri, let’s shut this down,” Tony murmured as he moved towards the podium. 

“Knock them dead, boss,” the AI chirped in his ear. “And try not to get arrested.”

Tony smiled at that, but judging by the nervous looks around him, it wasn’t a very nice smile.

“Alright, folks, you know who I am but for those of you with dementia, I’m happy to remind you. My name is Tony Stark,” Tony said, straightening his jacket as he spoke. “Now, what you might not know is why I’m here. The amendment proposed wouldn’t affect me, as I’m not enhanced. However, it would affect someone I care a lot about. Many someones actually. So I feel it’s my responsibility to use my voice for them, as they’re unable to speak here themselves.”

Tony paused and looked around the room, Friday taking in who was paying attention and who wasn’t while also highlighting their anticipated vote. It was far too close for comfort, which was why he was here at all. 

“This latest amendment to the Superhero Accountability Act barely passes the rather low bar of being constitutional and completely falls short of being moral, just, or even needed,” Tony said firmly. “One person misused their abilities, and now Secretary Ross is attempting to use the fear caused by it to rewrite the rules for a whole group of minorities that are already at risk for discrimination. A mutation or enhancement is no different than any other tool, and like a tool, it can be used for good or evil. But that doesn’t make the tool inherently good or evil, nor the people wielding it.”

Tony stopped again, taking his time to look at all of the NRA supported senators before he continued. 

“Senators on this very floor have said as much about guns, and the precedence is clear. It would be hypocritical to say that enhanced or mutant individuals should be treated less fairly.”

“Now, see here, Stark, the level of destruction from a gun is nowhere near what a mutant can cause,” Senator Kelly objected.

“Really?” Tony asked, disbelief plain on his face and in his tone. “Did you forget the guns I used to build? The missiles? Hell, the Iron Man suit is arguably more dangerous than most mutants because it’s not limited by a physical body that can be strained or fatigued. It’s also not limited to a set number of abilities or skills. And yet, if I broke the law and were convicted, I’d only face jail time, not conscription to a ‘special unit’ in the military.”

“The raft was deemed inhumane, and rehabilitation is always the goal,” another senator blustered.

“Oh yes, we’ll be rehabilitating them by putting them in slightly less horrible cages and making them submit to physicals and who knows what other testing in the name of ‘quantifying their abilities to make best use of them’ all with limited oversight, after which, they’ll be thrown on the front line to die before they can complain about the situation,” Tony all but spat. “You would not, and frankly could not, do that to Iron Man, so why would you think you could do it to Spider Man? Why is Spider Man less deserving of being treated like a person even if he were to fuck up than Iron Man? Or a non-Avenger like Daredevil? You are trying to draw a line in the sand using only your fear as reasoning.”

“Mr. Stark, you would ask us to let our constituents live in fear,” Senator Clark argued. “What will you offer them when these enhanced individuals cause havoc and destruction again and again? We cannot cage them without risking the lives of others.”

“Friday, pull up prison statistics for guards injured on duty and compare the findings to current injuries for known mutants to guards on duty as well. And while we’re at it, let's pull up the data for mutant escapes after convictions and data on repeat offenders both enhanced and non. Oh and just for funsies, pull up a list of rehabilitation programs for both populations too,” Tony said, ignoring the objections as Friday took control of their projection systems and began displaying the requested information.

“Now, as you can see, Senators, there is no data to support such accusations, and frankly, even if there were, then the humane response would be to increase the literal absence of enhanced and mutant specific rehabilitation programs,” Tony said, crossing his arms and staring at the Senators like they were unruly children throwing a tantrum. 

“But there’s not enough of a population to warrant those programs.” Tony pitched his voice high as he mocked them. “We don’t have the funding and other inmates need it more.”

“And that is exactly my point- enhanced are an almost non existent portion of our prison population,” Tony said quietly. “And do you know why that is? No- don’t answer, because I guarantee none of you in this room truly know. None of you will ever live in fear of being literally dissected alive just because you were born different or had some random act of god turn you into something others consider less than human. Only a few of you will know the fear of being shot first and questions asked later if at all.”

Tony let that sink in, looking around somberly as Friday changed the statistics to enhanced and mutant individuals that had gone missing or had been murdered by their families, by police, or in some cases, never solved. 

“For every one of them brave enough to step forward, to put themselves out there while using their abilities to help, there are hundreds if not thousands more living in fear, and you validate their fear when you propose laws such as these,” Tony gripped the edges of the podium, willing them to understand, to pull their god damn heads out of their asses. “This amendment is discriminatory and built on a foundation of lies and fear mongering. Your actions say that you trust me, an ex-arms dealer with the moniker ‘Merchant of Death,’ to be a better person than someone like Spider Man, an enhanced who literally rescues cats from trees and helps little old ladies cross the street, simply because my DNA looks normal to you. Why am I held to a different standard than him?”

“Mr. Stark, you seem very concerned about Spider Man’s position in regards to this amendment,” Senator Ryan asked, giving Tony an unimpressed look. 

“Of course, I would be concerned when someone I love is being threatened by the people that are meant to protect them,” Tony retorted then froze. He took a deep breath, pretending to regain his composure even though he was just buying himself time to think. The Senate was made up of obstinate asses, and today was no exception. They all appeared wholly unimpressed with his arguments which meant it was time to up the stakes. Tony would make it abundantly clear that he would not allow Spider-Man to be drawn into their crosshairs on a whim. With a quiet murmur to Friday to back him up, he stared down Ryan and the others.

“Of course, I’m going to care when you’re literally threatening my goody two shoes husband, who literally wouldn’t harm a fly, because you’re scared of your own shadows.” 

Shock rippled through the crowd and Tony capitalized on it. 

“Stark Industries won’t stand for it either. We will not support representatives, or a government that would take advantage of minorities, enhanced or otherwise, and I assuredly will not allow my husband to be put to trial for your fears. If this amendment is passed into law, we will find somewhere that will welcome Iron Man and Spider Man with open arms,” Tony said firmly. 

“Are you threatening us?” Senator Kelly blustered, and Tony gave him an unamused look.

“I would have thought you people would have figured out by now that I never threaten anything,” Tony  said. “I’m just nice enough to tell you the consequences of your actions in advance. You’re welcome, by the way. Now, if you don’t mind, I have another appointment to get to. I do so hope you’ll remember what I said but if not, I’m sure the recorder can give you the transcripts.”

Tony spins and stalks out of the chamber, the people in it already out of his mind as he focused on the new problem.

“Fri, marriage documentation from Wakanda, send a note to Lion-O discreetly to back us up, then file a copy with New York, have it in a pending pile or something. Also, update all of SI’s information to have Peter as my emergency contact and spouse. Put the name as Peter Parker-Stark. Update my will and everything to say spouse instead of heir.”

Tony ignored the many reporters and people trying to get his attention, heading straight for Happy and the waiting car.

“Oh, and have Rhodey as my witness and May as Peter’s.”

“On it, boss, backdating to May 4th of last year, congratulations on your nuptials,” Friday said primly as Tony climbed in the car. He snorted when he realized what the date was. 

“Very funny, Fri, I’m sure Peter will approve. Although, now I have to plan an anniversary gift with barely a month of lead time,” Tony complained.

“Might I suggest you start with rings,” Friday said dryly. 

“You take care of those, I have to call Peter,” Tony said as he let his head fall back for just a moment. A headache was building but it was his own fault for not watching what he said better. And he did love Peter, in his own way, so what was a little marriage between friends?

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

peter finds a monkey loose in queens and brings it to tony just as the news starts talking about the missing monkey (loosely inspired by that situation with the dallas zoo a bit ago!)

Excellent prompt, my friend. This mini turned out to be completely chaotic and I love that for all of us. Haha

This one is also cutting it close to the 1k limit at 971 words.

[Side note: Thank you to everyone who has sent prompts in. I have at least two more I plan to write over the next couple of days, so be sure to check out the tag #happyaspie mini fic. For those who are new, all mini fics are eventually added AO3 but they are always posted here first!]

Literal Monkey Business

As Peter was zipping through the city, a sight that wasn’t terribly unusual caught his eye. At the edge of Central Park, below a vast tree, was a child standing on his toes with his arms stretched upward. As he swooped toward the ground, he wondered if he’d be saving a stranded cat or kite.

“Hey, kiddo,” he greeted, then happily narrowed the eyes of the spider-man mask. “What up?”

“A monkey,” the little boy giggled while trying to grab the lower branches. “There’s a monkey up there!”

Peter canted his head to the side and gave the child a contemplative look. He appeared to be no older than six with his brightly colored school bag. He wondered if the boy was simply playing; something to entertain himself on his way home from school. Although the kid was being rather persistent for an innocent game of pretend.

Cautiously, he looked through the leaves, and sure enough, sat right at the top of the tree was a decent-sized light grayish-brown monkey. “There really is a monkey,” he mused aloud. “I wonder where it came from.”

“Can you catch him?” the boy pleaded. “Please, Spider-man? I want to take him home with me!”

Peter took a deep breath and swayed his head. “I’ll catch him,” he said, “but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to take him home. He’s not a pet. I need to figure out where he belongs, so he can go back to his family, okay?”

“You’ll take him back to his family?” The boy asked.

“That’s what would be best for him,” Peter said, then looked down an adjacent street lined with colorful rowhouses. “And you too. I bet there’s someone waiting for you at home.”

“Yeah,” the child sighed, Then with a small wave, he ran toward the sidewalk shouting, “Bye Spider-Man!” as he went.

Satisfied that the kid was back on track to get home, Peter focused on the animal that was eyeing warily from above. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to go about catching him. Literal monkey business simply wasn’t in his usual repertoire.

“Hi there, Mr. Monkey,” he whispered as he began ascending the tree. “Wanna home? I can help you.”

However, the monkey didn’t seem to understand or care about his intentions. The moment Peter was within arms reach the creature squeaked indignantly and took off into another tree. “Ah, come on, George! Can I call you George? You look like a George,” Peter rambled as he shot a web onto a lamp post and pulled himself in the monkey’s direction. However, the monkey was quick to abandon his new location in favor of another.

“George, please!” he shouted as followed behind the leaping monkey. What Peter had hoped would be a simple task was turning into a wild monkey chase. Every time he’d gained an edge, the animal would abruptly change directions causing him to fall slightly behind.

“You know,” Peter groused, mid-turn. “If you don’t stop running from me, I’m going to have to change your name from George to Mojo Jojo. Is that what you want? You want this to be your villain origin story?”

It took a while but eventually, Peter was able to strategically get ahead of the illusive monkey and nab him from behind. Things didn’t get easier from there. The monkey strained and wriggled with all his might trying to get out of Peter’s sticky grasp.

“Calm down, Georgie Jojo,” Peter hissed, while expertly dodging the paws that were slapping up against this mask. “I’m trying to help you!”

The monkey did not calm down.

Peter sighed as he kept the squirming animal at arm's length. “Sorry, little guy. But I can’t wing with you moving around like this. We’re going to have to-” he said, pausing as he shot a few webs and hurriedly fashioned them into what amounted to an infant front carrier.

“There. You can ride here while I swing,” he said, already aiming his webs at the closest building. “I don’t know where you came from, but I know who to ask.”

“Hey, Mr. Stark!” Peter said as walked into the lab, sans mask and with a finally semi-calm monkey attached to his chest. “Do you know where-” he began, but Tony appeared and instantly started talking over him.

“Why do you have that monkey?”

“Uh, I found him?” Peter replied.

“Where?” Tony asked, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

“In Central Park. And I thought that was kind of an odd place to find a monkey so I brought him here. I thought you might be able to help me figure out where he came from.”

Tony huffed an amused laugh, gestured towards the television, and signaled for FRIDAY to raise the volume. The newscaster was standing just outside the Central Park Zoo discussing the escape of the park’s youngest Snow Monkey.

“Oh,” Peter said, feeling a little silly for not even considering the monkey may have come from the very local zoo. Especially since it was no more than a mile from where the boy had found him.

“Yeah, oh” Tony gleefully repeated. “You up for swinging him all the way back, or should I make a call?”

Peter looked down at the monkey, who was just starting to become restless again and shook his head. If he was being honest, the animal was starting to grow on him. “I’ll take him,” he decided but made a point of having FRIDAY snap a few pictures of his new friend before leaving.

Later, photographs and videos of Peter’s monkey chase went viral. Mostly the ones of him with the animal safely strapped to his chest. Because of that, no one was surprised when the snow monkey exhibit became one of Spider-Man’s favorite places to hang out.

[sparkagrace]

Steve’s been having a hard day. Not only has he been feeling a little more lost recently, he just went on a coffee date Nat had set up for him, and it had been the worst. The woman had just ogled him in a way that made him uncomfortable, had been so focused on his Captain America persona, so self involved. Steve hadn’t even been able to get a word in, apart from answering some questions that required not much more than a “no, that’s not true”, yeah, that happened”, or “I don’t think I feel comfortable answering that.” He’s had interviews less painful, with fewer assumptions made about who he is, or isn’t. He’d had a difficult time not rolling his eyes or sighing deeply, when she’d go on another rant about something Steve really, really didn’t want to discuss. But now she’s gone, and he lets out all the frustrated air he’s been holding in, in one deep, deep sigh, arms braced on the table and his face nestled between them.

“Hey,” someone says, and Steve barely hears it over his own wallowing. “You look like you could use another coffee. Maybe something stronger though, by the sound of it.”

Steve looks up and around, trying to figure out who’s talking to him. But he’s easy to spot, only two empty tables between them. The guy looks like he really does feel bad for Steve, and Steve gives him the best smile he can currently muster. “Yeah, one of those days, you know,” he responds with politely.

The guy turns around to face him more, long legs stretched out on the floor. Steve takes a better look at him. The guy nods like he understands. Something about him tells Steve that he probably does. He’s smiling at Steve, but it doesn’t fully reach his eyes either, and there’s some sort of sadness hanging over him, like maybe he’s a little lost too.

“Oh, I do know, I think. I haven’t been having the best day myself and…. I don’t want to bother you, or be too forward, but uhm, maybe I can buy you a coffee? I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

Steve knows he should probably say no. What if this guy is another fan boy, and he has to go through the whole thing all over again? He doesn’t really feel like talking to anyone, would prefer to just go home to his empty apartment and sulk. He doesn’t know why the words coming out of his mouth instead are “sure, that sounds nice,” but he’s said it before he can think it through.

The guy gets up, making his way over to Steve’s table, and Steve can’t help but follow the movement of his long legs and lean body.

“I’m Bucky, by the way,” he says as he sits down. “What can I get you….?”

“Uhm, Steve. Just a regular coffee, but I can…”

“No, please, let me, Steve. You’re kind enough to keep me company, it’s the least I can do,” Bucky says.

Steve doesn’t think that’s fully true - Bucky is already doing a lot for him, by being a distraction from his shitty day, by being kind, and also just by….being really, really nice to look at. But he agrees, and a couple of minutes later Bucky comes back with black coffee for Steve, and some sort of sweet smelling concoction for himself.

And it’s easy, so easy, to talk to Bucky, it turns out. He’s incredibly kind, funny, smart. He doesn’t ask Steve anything about Captain America, apart from asking if Tony is really as much of an asshole as he seems to be on TV. Steve feels like a weight has been lifted, talking to someone who isn’t a colleague, doesn’t want anything from him apart from conversation and company, doesn’t seem to care about the things people usually only care about talking to Steve.

It’s like he actually wants to get to know Steve, and wants Steve to get to know him, with how open he’s being. It’s like a breath of fresh air, like Steve’s been breathing in oxygen from recycled air, in a closed off space, and right now, a whole entire world is opening up for him. Blue grey eyes looking intently at him, like they see him, eyes crinkling at the corners in laughter warming him up from the inside, plush pink lips curling into a smile that makes his stomach flutter. Maybe it’s not such a bad day after all.

—-

Sorry this got much longer than I thought it would be, but I promised I’d try and cheer you up, and I hope this does!!! I love you SO much, my loveliest tejodore 💕💕💕💕

MAYA. whaaaaaaaaat? 😭 How can you be this sweet? I'm genuinely grinning from ear to ear. Oh my gosh, I had just made lunch when I read this and now I'm no longer hungry because I have been fed.

When you showed me that Seb photo last night and were trying to find him a matching Chris, I didn't know you'd find the perfect pair (because they are one!) 😍😍😍

This little slice of Shrunkyclunks coffee shop AU was the best way to cheer up and inject some love into my work day 💖 Steve was so bored and lonely, and Bucky was so gentle with him without being prying. I love how softly and casually he approaches Steve 🥰️

Ugh, you're the best. ily so much (and I know we say it a lot, but I truly do adore you and think you're the goddamn best person). I'm so glad I met you on this hellsite and we can be totally ridiculous together. I love your headcanons, I love your ficlets, I love your desire to always find a Steve/Chris for a matching Bucky/Seb 💗💗💗

You're incredible and it's so hard to feel sad when you're around to cheer me up! 🌷🌻

[imagine-silk]

Marvel; Not sober

Marvel characters being inebriated

[Tony] Almost got demolished along with his suit but came out intact. So when he woke up hopped up on morphine he thought he was fine. "Care for a drink?"

"No, and you shouldn't either."

"I, am very thirsty." He said grabbing a bottle off the self.

You took it and pulled him. "Let's have something with no alcohol"

"That's fine. MONDAY, can I get a Tahitian Noni?" That was followed by a 'right away, sir'. If you didn't know better you'd say he wasn't inebriated at all. How the fuck did he say that anyway? Apparently it was juice. "Hey." He said to grab your attention that was already focused on him.

"Hey."

He poked you on the chest. "I love you." It hit you like a sucker punch.

[Peter B] As soon as he got home through the window he reached in a drawer and injected himself. It was unholy and unfortunately not uncommon. "Imma sleep this on off." You couldn't blame him. He'd done this for years so it was down pat. All you could do is help.

"Get in the tub first. I'll stitch you up."

He gave a lazy thumbs up and stumbled to the bathroom. "Thanks babe."

[Scott] He almost always came back unscathed but when he didn't it was bad. So you pulled up to the Pym house to a blissed out boyfriend. When he saw you he stretched his split lip, "Honey." Came out in slurs.

You walked up and he bunched his fist in your shirt while you cradled his face. He didn't flinch when your fingers grazed over his swollen eyes. The tears were only noticed when Scott started to whine, "Why? What's wrong?"

You didn't mean to say it but it slipped out, he scared the shit out of you. "I hate you." It was a sigh out of your mouth, deflated and defeated.

"What? No, don't hate me, I love you." That's what he was worried about, not the fact he almost died. "I want to go home. We still have that cake-pie-thing, right?"

You didn't. "Yeah baby, let's go home."

[Miles] Going to get his teeth pulled wasn't the worst thing in the world. They gave him relaxers to help him with the fear and now he felt like he wasn't on this world. During it you had to tell him not to talk so much while they were drilling into his face. And now he was out of words and just stared at you. "Something on my face?"

"Perfection." Damn. That was quick too. "You got a man?"

Oh, you were going to have some fun. "And if I do?"

"I'd say something that made you think I'm better. Something very clever and smooth."

"Well, I think you already perfect for me." You leaned over and kissed him. He was so drugged out his reaction was delayed.

"Hell yeah."

[Stephen] He was no stranger to alcohol but he had a bit too much, or more accurately more than you and Wong. The cape was all but carrying him to where he was trying to go. "Stop moving, your gonna hurt yourself."

"You should come stop me." The cape was not amused. It grabbed him and flew him over to you, basically dumping him on you. And he just smiled, "Hi."

As much as he was further gone than you you were still wobbly. "Hi." Then you fell asleep holding each other in the hallway.

[Bruce] Science was truly beautiful. [epic poem about science] And to you a few key chemicals bonded in the right way was able to let your boyfriend fully relax. "Feeling okay?"

He sighed heavy in his own body. "What's a word that means better than perfect?"

"None comes to mind." You were perfectly sober to make sure he was okay and enjoying himself. "Perfect is the top. Maybe absolute or immaculate."

"I feel absolutely immaculate."

[Eddie] You would never be able to tell if he was drinking or not. He didn't carry himself different and was just as observant and articulate. You only truly knew when he told you. "Hey babe, can we have potatoes?"

You quirked your eyebrow. "Why?"

"I need to come down before I get a migraine."

You nodded, "Yeah, okay."

[Steve] Due to his insane metabolism regular painkillers didn't work on him so they needed horse tranquilizers, but that fucked him up because they were made for a god damn horse. "Fuck." He drew out the word like he never wanted it to end.

"Potty mouth." You tease.

He was not amused. "God, just kiss me."

"Well, I don't think he can so I'll take his place."

[TASM] "I don't think we should get a pet. Too loud, I'd lose my mind have something that loud so close." Peter was very outspoken when he hard a few. And by a few that meant a lot. So he was shamelessly straddling you on the couch. "And all that hair would kill me."

Every time you would take his conversation seriously. You found out a long time ago he didn't like when you undermined him when he was like this. "I don't want any animals either."

"See? We're perfect for each other." He rested his head on your shoulder and played with your collar. "We should stay together for like, ever."

"I can arrange that."

[Trilogy] He is stoned out of his mind. You offered to shared a blunt on your couch and apparently he had never tried weed before, and with heightened senses it really got to him. "Peter? You doing good?"

His voice was meeker than usual, "I think so." You peeled him from the floor and plop him against you. "I feel… I feel."

You stroked his back. "Good or bad?"

He hummed, "Good."

[MCU] To get hit by a bus and come away with only bruises was insane. And said person needed painkillers while he was recovering. "Why do I have this on?" A lot of painkillers.

"Because you need it." You said pulling his hands away from his bandages. "And I need you to keep them on okay?"

He looked outside and started to get up. "I need to go on patrol."

You gently pulled him down, safe back into his bed. "Stark has it, don't worry." He melted at your touch and you guided his head onto the pillow. "Can you sleep for me?" The answer you got was his eyes falling closed.

[Marc and Steven] Marc's job was not easy. Being a merc is dangerous and almost always ends the same. Marc was used to doing it though, he had the suit. Steven was not very good at fighting. He got mugged when Marc was asleep and they woke up in the hospital. And they almost fought their way out if you weren't there to calm them.

You took them home but had some rules. "Don't. Summon. The suit." The reasoning was Khonshu would hold it over them as a service they needed to pay back. There was no question he knew what was happening and he was there but that wasn't enough for him to ask anything.

"Christ, [Name], it hurts so much." Steven moaned as he tumbled out of bed towards the kitchen. You panicked for a second before getting to work. You grabbed the pills and made him drink it down with water. The medicine seemed to start working because his eyes fell out of focus. "Marc. Marc, I'm scared. Where are you?" Quiet whining.

"Steven, listen to me. Your being so brave. But I need you to sleep now. Can you find Marc?"

Like that he was gone. "Fuck, that hurts like a bitch." You sighed in relief. He was still in pain, you knew that, but Marc was better equipped to handle this. "I'll try to keep us asleep."

You helped him back to bed. "Thank you." He scoffed and pulled you into a kiss.

[Natasha] She wasn't one to get drunk, she liked to drink but no one ever saw her at a point of complete helplessness. So whenever she was in a tizzy after a particularly hard mission she went to you to get drunk because you wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. "You need new kitchen knives."

She was currently laying on the counter, her foot at a strange angle to rest in the cabinet. "I know. I haven't found the time to go out to get some."

"Tony could probably get you some nice ones."

You nodded and sipped your coffee. "Yeah."

[Thor] What else was he supposed to do after returning home after a hard fought battle other than have a feast? You submitted yourself to sobriety to inevitably handle a drunk version of him. "My love, are you not enjoying yourself?"

"I am. But I've had enough ale."

"Then I shall have enough for the both of us." The feast was loud, proud, and unapologetic. And after he fell asleep in your arms while murmuring he missed you. A giant soft bear.

[my-head-is-an-animal]

Caustic: An Origin Story

Caustic/Alexander Nox x Original Female Character

Rating: 18+

Chapter 6

The next week was difficult, Dr Humbert was putting pressure on Dr Nox to complete his latest research and it was only making him irritable and often angry. I did my best to calm the situation, but ultimately all I really could do was restrict his visitors even further to only the essential workers and make sure he had everything he needed on time and without hesitation.

    My job became a little about predictability, which was hard enough most days, but now I was being forced to try to understand some of what he was talking in order to make sure he had what he needed.

   My dingy little flat didn’t feel right anymore, I could suddenly hear everything so much louder, the peace and tranquillity of Dr Nox’s apartment had been a luxury I didn’t need. Returning to the noisy downtown area only served to keep me awake at night and I was constantly looking over my shoulder for the next time I was mugged.

    I found myself missing the feel of Dr Nox around me, we hadn’t spoken about that night since it happened and part of me understood that he had been busy with his work, but the other part of me was a little upset that I hadn’t had the chance to tell him how I felt… however that was.

    I tried not to daydream at work, ever, but with Nox just on the other side of the door and the image of his broad chest pressed against mine, it was difficult to stay focused. I honestly didn’t know if he had been telling me the truth anymore, I couldn’t picture him telling me that he was falling in love with me and have it have the same effect. I didn’t know if I felt the exact same way, I felt love for him, but I didn’t know if it was the same love. He had a furious temper that could rear at any moment and sometimes it scared me, but I never felt in any danger, he was kind to me, allowed me room to be who I wanted to be, whoever that was and I missed kissing him.

    ‘Well, that sounds like a simple problem that you have made complicated because you’re scared.’ Toni smiled as we walked back from the meeting. The night air was cooler and refreshing.

    ‘I’m not scared.’

    ‘Yes, you are, you are scared to fall in love because it means the life you knew before is definitely over.’ He went on, ignoring my defensive statement. ‘You started fighting young and now it’s all you know, never getting too close to people is default, trust me, I know all about that.’ Toni laughed, his pearly white teeth made even more so by his darker skin. ‘This is all part of taking the next step into reality. You said you never called him by his first name, why not? Is it because you truly don’t want to, or because it might mean more when you finally do?’

    ‘I have no idea what you’re really talking about here.’ I half laughed.

    ‘Jessica, it is plain as day to say that you are in love with this man, I see it from where I am standing, Dr Nox probably knows as well and from what you have told me, he is just waiting for you to decide whether you want him or not.’ Toni suddenly frowned. ‘I imagine he’s in a lot of pain doing so.’ He said, quietly.

    I thought about it for a while, maybe Toni was right, maybe I was in love with Nox, I liked almost everything about him, I liked talking to him, having banter with him, he was smart, handsome, he cared about me, he was a great kisser and he never crossed any lines with me.

    ‘Maybe you’re right.’ I sighed as we came to the split in the road, I wasn’t keen on walking on my own again. ‘Maybe I need to just talk to him and tell him what’s going on, we’ve always had a fairly honest relationship.’

    ‘Then I am certain it will work out for the best.’ Toni smiled his easy smile. ‘Goodnight, Jessica. Stay safe and I will see you again next week.’

    ‘Yeah, see you next week Toni.’ I smiled back and immediately got my phone out, at least if I was on the phone to him, I may have been able to avoid some of the harsher looking faces.

    ‘Jessica?’ Dr Nox panted, he was in the middle of a workout once again.

    ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.’ I suddenly felt very nervous.

    ‘That’s quite alright, how was your meeting?’ I was caught off guard by his seemingly genuine question.

    ‘Oh yeah, it was fine, to be expected really.’ I swallowed nervously. ‘I still can’t really talk about anything important, but no one seems to mind.’

    ‘If you are having difficulty talking about your experiences, can I assume you have called me for another reason?’ I was suddenly at a loss, how did he know me so well? ‘Jessica?’

    ‘Sorry, yeah, I called because… I want to talk.’

    ‘I thought we were talking.’ I could hear him smiling and I was sure he chuckled at the inevitable eye roll I responded with.

    ‘I mean face to face.’ I sighed. ‘I have some things I want to say to you.’

    ‘Of course, why don’t you begin walking to my apartment? I will meet you on the way.’ Even his suggestion carried a weight of authoritativeness.

    ‘Sure, I can do that.’ I turned around and started walking the other way.

    Nox was quicker than I thought he would be, but then his stride was almost double mine so maybe I was just a slow walker. I felt the sharp blush reach my cheeks and thanked goodness that it was dark so he wouldn’t see it.

    ‘Jessica.’ He sighed, smiling. We stood a little far apart for my liking, it even made him frown. ‘Is something wrong?’ Why did he have to look so good in his tight work out gear?

    ‘No,’ I whispered, unable to make my voice work, much to his amusement. ‘I am in love with you.’ Well, I guess there was no time like the present, though I hadn’t quite intended to tell him like that. ‘I don’t know why I doubted that. Toni said I was scared and I think he’s right, I am scared, not of you, but of what you mean to me. The fact that you mean anything is a scary prospect to me and not one I have ever been given the chance to have before. I am in love with you, I just don’t know how to feel that without… feeling it, I guess.’ I half laughed towards the end, but the really scary thing was that Dr Nox hadn’t said a word or moved a muscle. I suddenly felt like this was a very bad idea indeed.

    Dr Nox took in a deep breath and nodded. ‘Stay with me tonight.’ He said, not a command, but a firm suggestion, one I wanted to comply with.

    ‘Okay.’ I breathed, knowing he might not have heard, but he definitely saw that I was in agreement, because he tried to contain a smile. I let my breath go and rolled my eyes. Maybe everything was okay.

    The walk was a little shorter than I remembered, but then last time I was being held up by my ribs that were injured at the time. I risked a glance at Nox every so often to see him thinking deeply, occasionally with a smile on his face, sometimes it was a deep frown.

    We finally arrived at his apartment and rode the lift in silence, but this time, I could see that his eyes were dark and he was grinning to himself. He took out his keys and unlocked the front door, once again I was captivated by the small view of the glittering city, it was so peaceful.

    I turned to see him leaning on the door frame, smiling at me and it only made me chuckle, following him inside.

    ‘Would you like some tea?’ Dr Nox asked, gesturing for me to enter into his kitchen and take the seat I occupied the week before.

    ‘Sure.’ I nodded, feeling the flush appear once again over my face, amusing him to no end.

    While Nox made us both some tea, I saw that his television was once again paused in the middle of highlights of his previous match in the Games. This must have been part of his routine every night, to go over old matches, get a workout in and then presumably go to bed. It was just so quiet, it was no wonder he was able to get so much done in the precious free time he had.

    ‘You seem distracted?’

    I jumped, finding that Nox was now sitting opposite me, sipping on his tea and smiling at me. How long had I been staring off in the distance for?

    ‘I’m okay,’ I shook my head. ‘I’m just thinking about things.’

    ‘What things?’

    I rolled my eyes, grinning. ‘About the way you live. It still amazes me, the space you have to think and breathe.’

    ‘I find the peace desirable.’ He said simply, nodding. I wasn’t sure how to respond. ‘Jessica, I apologise if this week has been difficult for you, I know Dr Humbert has been pressuring us both, but you have risen to the occasion very well.’

    ‘It’s okay.’ I shook my head, not really wanting him to have to thank me for doing my job. ‘How is your research going anyway?’

    ‘It’s had its difficulties, but I believe I have had a breakthrough.’

    ‘Oh really?’

    ‘Yes, using gas may well be a better alternative to a liquid form, so tomorrow I will begin working on that theory.’

    ‘That’s… great news?’ I really didn’t know if it was and he knew that, but neither of us cared that much.

    ‘It is.’ Nox nodded and bowed his head slightly. He always made such good tea. ‘Though I did receive better news today.’ He looked up at me and smiled uncontrollably. ‘Did you mean what you said?’ I nodded slowly and watched him deflate with relief. ‘That pleases me. Would I be right in assuming that I will still have to earn the privilege of you using my first name?’

    I could suddenly see so much clearer, he was fidgeting, nervous and anxious, like he didn’t want to mess anything up, like he wanted to do more than simply talk about things. I felt myself grinning and once again, blushing furiously.

    ‘I mean, privileges are there to be earnt.’ I made him suck in a breath and chuckle. ‘What exactly are you going to do to earn it?’

    ‘I’m going to make love to you.’

    I almost choked on the breath that I sucked in. Did he really just say that? With such a casual and yet strangely sensual tone? Of course he did, Dr Nox never beat around the bush about anything, why should this be any different?

    I could feel my teeth biting into my lower lip, something he was fixing his gaze on, the second I stopped, his dark eyes snapped up to mine and I was staring at two black gems, devouring me.

    Nox scooped me up, pressing his lips to mine, his hands below my thighs encouraging me to wrap my legs around his thick waist, it was as if I weighed nothing at all. His hair was a combination of silky smooth and a little damp, but I loved it. His mouth attacked mine with glorious passion, he licked and bit and growled into every motion.

    Without even realising that we had moved very far, I felt him lying me down on his huge bed, cradling me with his hands and softly stroking up my sides and into my hair. His tongue exploring my mouth and groaning as my hips pushed up into his.

    ‘Tell me what you like.’ He growled, placing hot kiss down my jaw and to that sweet spot just below my ear. What I liked, what I liked… huh, what did I like? ‘Jessica?’ Nox questioned and frowned, staring down at me. ‘What’s wrong?’

    ‘I… I actually don’t know what I like.’ I said, more as a realisation than anything, but it only made him grin wickedly.

    ‘In that case,’ he stroked through my hair and smiled. ‘I’ll just have to experiment.’ The way he said it sent shivers through my entire body, making my chest lift just to be closer to him, had Nox chuckling and kissing my neck, softly nibbling the sensitive skin. ‘I’m going to enjoy this, Jessica.’ He whispered and I had no control over the light moan that left my mouth.

    Nox lifted himself to kneel between my legs and unzipped his hoodie, stripping his tight black t-shirt off straight afterwards and I could see every part of his muscular torso, it was beautiful. His shape, the way he carried himself and the way he stared down at me was everything I’d always wanted without realising it. I didn’t hesitate in removing my jumper and t-shirt as well, not wanting to hide from him anymore.

    He quickly stepped off the bed and helped me take my jeans off, revealing my pure white thong that I’d forgotten I was wearing that day. I heard Nox groan as he suddenly realised what I was wearing. He crawled back up my body, placing small, soft kisses wherever he desired, before reaching my mouth and devouring me with another kiss.

    ‘I need to see more of you.’ He said, desperately. Nox reached around to unclasp my bra, kissing my neck, biting gently, making my back arch and exposing more of myself to him.

    ‘Please.’ I cried, unsure of what I was asking for, but it made Nox chuckle wickedly against my skin.

    He descended down my body, his beard scratching at all of my sensitive spots, his hands roaming over my waist and hips, caressing the flesh and keeping me close to his body that was working hard, flexing and relaxing and all of it was wonderful.

    Finally, he reached my hips, placing hot, passionate kisses over the bone and soon his thumbs had hooked beneath my thong as he gently pulled the material away. I could feel his breath grazing me and let out a stuttered sigh. He hummed in approval and threw my thong away somewhere on the floor. ‘Delicious.’ He growled and let his lips drift agonisingly lightly over the exact place that I needed him to devour me.

    I felt the cool air for just a moment as he stood up to remove his joggers and tight briefs, but unfortunately, I didn’t quite catch a glimpse of his size, if I had, I may not have been so nonchalant about everything he was about to do.

    ‘Jessica, say my name.’ He whispered against my lips. I couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh.

    ‘You’ve going to have to do better than that, Dr Nox.’ I teased, raking my fingers through his soft hair. He smiled another wicked smile and kissed me teasingly.

    I suddenly felt his hand on my hip, rubbing his thumb across the inside where the skin was thinnest and more sensitive. My head fell backwards, my grip tightened and a smooth groan echoed from my throat, he almost had me.

    ‘Informative.’ He said and immediately lowered his mouth to my sensitive skin. His beard grazed it and I was already in a losing battle. Nox began kissing softly, making me sigh and breathe heavily, but the second he changed his approach to a somewhat more aggressive tone, using his teeth and fingers to press into flesh, that was when I knew I would be done for good. I could feel him creeping further and further downwards and I was only able to gently nudge him the direction of where I needed him to be. I felt his chuckle vibrating through me. ‘Don’t worry, I’m just as eager to taste you.’ He got so close to making me say his name, so incredibly close and he knew it as well.

    Nox gave me a moment to regain a little of my breathing before pushing my legs apart and running his tongue through me. I didn’t even care how obscene I sounded, it only made him groan into the action and repeat over and over until he was satisfied. He kept my legs spread and started to experiment with moving in different directions, making shapes to see what I responded to best and he was so good at latching onto what did work and exploiting it.

    I could feel his fingers pressing into my hips and all I could do was twist my fists into the sheets and try hard to hold onto anything I had left. It was a losing battle. ‘Yes.’ I breathed and the second I did, I felt him chuckle, repeating the motion with his tongue and bringing his hand around to the back of my leg.

    ‘Jessica.’ He breathed into me, before running two fingers through my folds, carefully sliding into me. I let out another deep groan, how could he make me feel so full with just his fingers? I wondered what he would feel like filling me with anything else, it was suddenly a scary and arousing prospect. ‘That’s it.’ He encouraged and I came closer and closer to coming undone. Suddenly his tongue was working with his fingers and I was there.

    ‘Yes!’ I cried and Nox brought me down slowly and gloriously. My chest was heaving breath into my lungs and I could feel the smile on my face forming.

    ‘So close.’ He chuckled and began kissing my hips, bringing me back up without letting me fully calm down. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep going,’ he reached my neck and dragged his lips over my jaw. ‘You will say my name, Jessica.’ He growled. ‘I will make you say my name.’ It was that beautiful warning, the one so filled with promise. I felt the lazy smile making an appearance on my face as he watched me come down a little. ‘You really are perfect.’

    ‘Perfect?’ I laughed. ‘You’ve already got me naked, the time for flattery has passed, don’t you think?’

    ‘Flattery implies deceit,’ he kissed my jaw again, keeping me on the edge. He pressed his body into mine so I could feel how hard he was between my legs. ‘I would never lie to you. You are the perfect specimen,’ his fingers brushed my hips as he spoke. ‘Your legs are strong and slender, perfect for wrapping around my waist,’ his beard scraped over every nerve in my jaw and neck. ‘Your hips are beautifully shaped, curved and easy to hold in my hands, your waist is slim and toned perfectly, your breasts are the perfect shape and weight,’ right on cue, his fingers drifted up to breasts and began massaging them, occasionally he would lightly pinch my nipples, making me sigh a little heavier than before. ‘Your neck is warm and soft, your jaw makes me want to be close to you and your face…’ Nox lifted himself to look over my face, my eyes were heavy and I was hardly able to focus on him properly. ‘You have very pretty features, very complimentary of each other, your hair is soft and rare. Only two percent of the human population of the universe is blonde. Your eyes… usually such bright, little emeralds that make me feel safe and settled, now obsidian gems that make me want to devour you in every way. Perfection.’ I hadn’t realised until that moment that my breathing had increased and I was now panting. His voice was just incredibly arousing on it’s own.

    ‘Perfection.’ I found myself repeating, just testing out the word, not really knowing if I suited it, but I supposed it didn’t really matter what I thought at that moment.

    Nox kissed me softly, but I could already feel him nudging close to my centre, I wanted him so desperately.

    ‘Please.’ I breathed, massaging the back of his neck, feeling his attack on my neck increase.

    Suddenly he stopped and stilled, had I done something wrong? ‘I apologise,’ he said, panting and lifting himself to see me, a small panic in his eyes. ‘I should have asked before if you are on any kind of contraception.’

    It was my turn to panic, I could already feel the tears building in the corners of my eyes, I tried to hide my hands that had begun shaking. ‘No.’ I breathed, Nox was just about to get up, presumably to get some other form of protection. ‘I don’t need to be.’ I stopped him. Nox frowned and indicated for me to explain. ‘I can’t… I can’t get pregnant… so, no need to worry.’ He seemed at a bit of a loss. ‘Not so perfect, I suppose.’ Maybe joking would help the situation.

    ‘Your ability to have children or not is irrelevant to your perfection,’ he stated. ‘I fell in love with you, this changes nothing.’ I thought all the air in the room had left me, he didn’t care, he really didn’t care. Nox pressed a harsh kiss to my mouth, his hands delved into my hair and I was so desperate to become a part of him. His hands dragged down my body and squeezed at the sensitive flesh, bringing me back up to a point of arousal where I was so ready for him.

    Without much warning, I suddenly felt him pushing slowly into me, stretching me more than I had ever been stretched in my life. My hand flew to his outrageously large arm, and he slowed.

    ‘Slower.’ I whispered, feeling him smile smugly against my mouth. He continued to softly kiss me, occasionally pushing his length into me as slowly as he could, but every time he did, I thought I would break. ‘Fuck, you’re big.’ I hadn’t meant to say it, but it was true and it made him laugh a little.

    ‘It bodes well for me that size impresses you.’ He stated, kissing me again. ‘But I’m afraid, I’m not done yet.’ Was he serious? He couldn’t have been, no one was that big, not a single human in the universe was that big without someone knowing about it. ‘Are you ready?’ He asked and I took a deep breath, nodding. He waited, watching me for a moment until I really was ready, before pushing just a little further than before.

    ‘Fuck, Alex.’ I groaned, my head thrown back as he attacked my throat, peppering hot kisses up the sensitive skin, gently biting and moaning into my neck.

    I could hear him panting harder, his smug smile increased as I realised what I said and it only made me laugh. ‘I told you I’d make you say it.’ He chuckled darkly. ‘Say it again.’ He asked gently.

    ‘You won’t get it out of me a second time.’ I panted, trying to regain some composure, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

    ‘I expect it more than twice.’ He mumbled close to my ear, before pulling out ever so slightly, he thrust back at a slower pace, but it was still incredible, I almost slipped up. I was panting a little harder than I expected myself to, but the way he was filling me, it was warranted. ‘You think control is a challenge for you?’ He whispered, moving his hand down to lift my leg higher around his waist, changing the angle so that I took him just a little deeper, but it was a much better feeling. ‘Quite frankly, this could be humiliating for me.’ That made me laugh, I was the one spread eagled on his bed, promising I wouldn’t say his name, but failing miserably. I suddenly had an idea.

    ‘In that case,’ I leaned up to kiss him, swiping my tongue over his bottom lip, forcing a groan from his chest. ‘I think you had better make me come again, Alex.’ I made sure to say his name in the most sensual way I could. Lucky for me, it worked.

    Alex groaned and stilled for just a moment, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. ‘Rest assured, I’ll make you regret that.’ He kissed me hard and started to thrust slowly and gently, but it was all about the angle, it was all about the slow kissing and the way he cradled my body against his. It was the slow build, the fact that he could drag out moans from places I didn’t know I had, the fact that no one had ever made love to me before and I never even realised until Alex did it.

    ‘Say it again.’ He panted and I had just about lost all self control.

    ‘Alex.’ I moaned. He thrust a little deeper than before.

    ‘Again.’ He commanded more firmly. He was close.

    ‘Alex, please.’ I begged. ‘Please, make me come, Alex.’

    He only picked up the pace marginally before I was suddenly coming hard and fast, shaking around him.

    ‘Yes.’ I cried, let my back arch and once again tightening the angle for him.

    ‘Jessica.’ I had never heard his voice take on such a helpless tone before as he came hard inside me.

    Eventually we were coming down as slowly as Alex could bring us and I was unable to believe it was really over. For a while we just breathed together, just taking in what we had done together, just absorbing the cooling air around us. I turned to see the view of the glittering lights of the city and realised that the only noise I’d heard since I arrived at Alex’s apartment, was us. It was incredibly peaceful.

    ‘I hope you don’t mind the interruption,’ he said, breaking my thoughts. ‘But I will need to shower. Would you consider joining me?’ Alex smiled, his eyes were heavy, how could I say no?

    Alex was considerate, soothing, kind and gentle. We walked into his huge shower and without hesitation or conversation, he began washing every part of my body, as if committing it to memory. I was tired, my body ached and I couldn’t hold myself straight for much longer, I needed to sleep. Alex carried me back into the bedroom and lay me down carefully in the warm sheets.

    ‘Goodnight.’ He whispered and the last thing I felt was his warm, strong arms wrapping around my small frame, keeping me safe, keeping me close.

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[afewmarvelousthoughts]

Just gonna talk about my current WIP

... and life. Because this is a nice cozy place where I can do that and only one of you knows me IRL.

So, in July, I was laid off. Well, my team was laid off. One of the many casualties in the "who needs DEI" wave. I can't even be particularly mad about it because that job was horrible. I dreaded work every day and I'm pretty sure that had I stayed, my health would have suffered more than it already had.

Then came the burnout. That shit hit me like a freight train. I've spent the majority of the last 2.5 months trying to give myself space to rest as much as possible (while also job hunting because I'm not exactly in a position that I can just BE unemployed). And y'all, rest is hard. Like really hard. But we're working on it.

While I 100% view this as a time I can and must rest, it also feels like an opportunity to actually focus on writing.

Hell, if I'm being honest, it feels like the universe went, "You said you would do this if you only had time to dedicate to it. Here you go." Now I've just gotta do the thing. Which... is also hard.

I've had several WIPs bubbling away for years now. Ones I've shared with folks, ones people ask me about. But the one I'm focusing on right now I haven't shared with anyone.

It's too personal, but not in a way that folks would assume. It's not autobiographical (though it is set just outside of Boston, where I'm now calling home) or anything of that sort. It's simply that I'm so in love with the two main characters I'm nervous to say anything about the story to folks close to me until it's finished.

But no one is likely to see this so I'm gonna share a bit here:

Toni. Bless Toni. She's a little me and probably a little you too. The definition of someone running toward something even though far too many people think she's running away. She is a woman who refuses to accept good enough and deals with the repercussions of that--especially as a fat woman (a through line in most of my femme MCs). In her case, she chose to end a relationship with a man most people considered a catch--ya know a catch who thought he could convince her to have a baby she said she didn't want--and move across the country rather than allow herself to stay in a situation that made her miserable. Now, alone--save for her best friend a few towns over--she's rebuilding her life and unpacking the baggage that says she's unreasonable and unreliable for choosing her happiness.

And y'all... Cillian. Lord. He's a local boy--complete with that Bahston accent--and built like a tank. Everyone around him can see how golden his heart is, not because he wears it on his sleeve but because he has an aura of goodness that is almost impossible to miss. Were you to tell him that, he'd tell you you're full of shit. The thing about Cillian is that he's the kind of good that comes from going through hell. In his case, hell was literal war. Now, 10 years out of the military and 8 sober, he's still reconciling with parts of himself he'd rather bury. Think a little Bucky Barnes with a dash of Frank Castle and then the rest, well the rest is just Cillian: The boy who should have been a musician, not a soldier. The man who runs his family's bar and escapes to his property in New Hampshire when the world is too much. The 6'2" 275lb brick of muscle that collects floral robes and buys expensive sheets and falls so in love with a gorgeous plus size powerhouse of a woman that it undoes him a little.

I love them. I love how they're going to open up with one another, to allow the other to see the parts of them that are still bleeding and know that it will be ok.

(They also fuck like rockstars so there's that.)

I'm still working on the first draft, but I think I can have it done in the next couple of weeks. From there, revisions and then MAYBE eyes that aren't mine.

Hopefully, someone other than me cares about their slow conversations, the softness of their fall, the low stakes but high emotion of it all.

-sigh-

Anyway. That's been my world of late. Thanks for being the void tumblr.

Love ya.

[izzysarchivedblogs]

THE ARCHER SMIRKS WHEN TONY MAKES A GROAN THAT DIES IN HIS THROAT. So he's managed to succeed at giving Tony a nice visual of what was to come now that they had agreed that Clint had felt being restrictive with shouldn'ts was NOT working for him.

He was doing good, had plans to reach other to people with apologies this week. What Clint SHOULD be doing is focusing on what he SHOULD be doing instead of not. It takes the focus away from drinking even, because part of the shouldn'ts was should NOT drink or he though should not want to. Now he was trying to recenter it as positives and for the future.

A light hum leaves him, and he does still keep his head away from the spray of water just as much as he could because he should be careful about the hearing aids. HOWEVER, HE WANTED TO KEEP UP THIS DAY. He wanted to be talking to Tony, and listening and having whatever conversations they were going to be having.

WHICH THE DATE TOPIC? It's fresh and eager in his mind, wanting to think about future dates after today ended up do successful. Although, Clint has no idea what they'd actually do. He doesn't want their dates to just be superhero dates, like he's use to and he doesn't have a plan with returning to Hawkeye yet as he was. He wanted to be stable, sober, and while he was going to keep in shape (make a new bow for himself in Tony's lab one of these days) he was not going to rush. He'll be okay, and there is some work that he could pick up and find in the mean time.

⸻ AROUND ON THAT DAY. . . . Clint definitely would love to be kid-free as well. He almost asks what Tony was imagining, but he can wait for the surprise whenever the day that they could have an ONLY THEM DATE.

He drags his lips over Tony's cheek, just kissing him for the sake of having his lips on his skin. ❝ I like the sound of that, here's hoping someone else can handle it. Maybe it's the X-Men turn to save th world. ❞

IT'S GREAT YOU'VE GOT PLANS ⸻ He was really trying here, and with the state of things? There is a lot more steps before he could get back to a team and the state of the New York City. ❝ Well, I shouldn't rush things and getting into a team would be a rush. Focus on my life and my relationships first, my health? ❞

He sighs in content as Tony massages his scalp, and he could let Tony do this forever with him. ❝ Dinner or dancing, I like the sound of those and I'll have to think about there. There's like half a hundred dozen date spots in New York and I can't even think of one right now. I know Kate made my follow ages ago all these New York accounts, that post about places to check out. We planned to eat our way through donuts and coffee places. ❞

The innuendo had not been missed, but the fact Clint had needed to make it clearer make Tony groan again, and very briefly he thought maybe he could go again right now. The need backed off again, and Tony filed away the fact that Clint liked it messy. For some reason that wasn't a surprise, but a kink like that was both shared and easily fulfilled.

Tony had assumed that Clint would have taken the hearing aids out before they got to the bathroom so when Clint was answering him without the pause he takes when he processes lipreading, it surprises him a little. The hearing aids should be fine, but usually it was a case of better safe than sorry for Clint. He must want to talk, which is fine. Tony always had words, whether Clint could hear them or not.

He surrenders to the kiss, wrapping his arms around Clint's waist and holding him close. There's a warmth to it. Warm embers in a fireplace. It makes Tony feel soft and pliant. Ready to ooze right into Clint's arms. "Mm... Yeah. We'll do the no baby date soon. Maybe next FRIDAY, what do you think? That is assuming that no one tries to end the world before then," he asked, as he smoothed his hands around Clint's hips and to Clint's chest. "Also when those tests come back with a green tick. I don't want any kids around on that day," he added, only half joking.

He grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his palm and began to work it though Clint's hair, massaging his scalp as he did. "It's great you've got plans, you know? I feel like it took much longer for me to get to the point where I was thinking any further than just getting through the day. The first plan I had was just getting back on a team."

He paused for a second and his brow furrowed. Taking Clint out on a real date might be a little tricky. Party because of the fact that a lot of traditional dates involved going places that had alcohol as part of it. Tony had pictured taking Clint dancing and it wasn't like there were dry dance clubs. But even things like ping pong and bowling were at places with bars. But the other issues was the press. If they went out as a couple, that would be it. People would know. Maybe he could book out a venue, make sure it was dry. Bring in a band or a DJ. Just have it be them and the people working for them. Pile of the romance. Would Clint even feel comfortable doing that?

Maybe it would be worth seeing if Clint was envisioning anything. He might already have the perfect private date locked and loaded. Then Tony wouldn't have anything to worry about. "You have any thoughts on what our date will be?" he asked. "Dinner? Dancing? A movie?"

@oceansfirst