#anyways hi again captain marvel fandom!!! :D

[captain-marble]

guess who’s got brainrot again!!!! that’s right it’s ya boy

[ceruleanskiesss]

Me when Im boutta post something DOWN BAD abt Bucky on my TikTok but I suddenly remember my MOTHER has it 😭😭😭

Anyways hihi again tumblr, where’s the 2024 MCU fandom at?? I have nothing to offer but a shitty unfinished OC fic, but OMG I am having so much fun with my current fixation :3

Here you can have a taste of it :D it’s not like, shippy or anything (MC is a minor), but I had the idea for one of my ocs in the Marvel universe, and it spiraled into a MASSIVE thing and I could literally go on and on for hours abt them

It was… warm, when the Killer emerged from the facility, its beaten fists still dripping in the gore of its creators, senses wild and on edge. Rays of sun pierced its retinas, dappling through canopies of evergreen– a stark difference from the blaring fluorescence it once knew. Oddly, it didn’t mind. The Killer stumbled through the brightness, knowing so little of itself, its mind torn to shreds. One simple word guided its every step, one simple, unbreakable word seared through its skull with harsh command, Kill.

It wasn’t long before the Killer was approached by local authorities, days at most. It was a policeman who found it, saw the figure wandering the side of the forested roadway, coated in blood. He tried to help it, to offer it aid, until he saw its piercing golden eyes, knit with chilling malice, and realized the blood was not its own. The policeman fumbled for his radio in an attempt to call backup, but was instead met with Killer's bloodstained fists for the last time. Its mind surged with a sickening sweetness, a Pavlovian response for a job well done. It was unsure why, but the Killer paid the feeling no mind as it resumed its trek. By the time backup arrived, the Killer was gone.

It assumed SHIELD was alerted when backup found the body, as the agents in front of it now, blocking both sides of the roadway in a pair of black vans, were unmistakable.

“Hands where I can see them!” One agent shouted, stepping from a van, her gun expertly trained at its head.

Its entire body screamed for the agent's gore, and so, without hesitation, the Killer rushed for her, its cold glare unchanging. Suddenly, multiple different targets emerged from the two vans, firing at it. The Killer felt its own blood beginning to spill, but it didn’t particularly care if it lived or died, its mission was simple after all: Kill.

And so it did.

With a singular well placed punch to the nose, the Killer felt her skull concave with a crunch. Another went to get in melee, but his ribs were completely shattered with two quick jabs. It felt itself growing increasingly heavy, sluggish. A sensation that shouldn't have been possible, even given its malnourished state. Then it realized, suddenly, obviously. Tranquilizers, nearly enough to knock out a hippo. Its body swayed and tinged with the familiar numbing sting as it slammed to the ground, arm still wrapped around a third agent's near lifeless neck.

When the Killer awoke, it found itself bound to a containment unit, senses suddenly sharpening. Its eyes darted around, scanning the room— a warehouse, almost entirely empty, except for the three men in front of the cell that housed it. It tugged at the restraints, hard, and felt a concentrated spike of electricity pulse through its veins in response; it bit back a scream.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” the man on the far left warned, approaching the containment unit, “It's synced to your biometrics, and adapted to your pain tolerances, so for both of our sakes, comply.” Director Nickolas J. Fury, the Killer recognised— this was SHIELD.

The other two men shifted uncomfortably behind Fury. “They’re just a kid, is all of this really necessary Fury?” Steve Rogers, ‘Captain America’, stood in the center, regarding it almost pitifully. That made it want to rip the man’s throat out— it was no child, it had no need for his pity.

“That ‘kid’ just killed two top tier agents in under a minute, nearly a 3rd. So yes, Steve, I consider it perfectly necessary.” Fury sighed, shaking his head. “So what are you, a Super Soldier? Alien maybe? A—” he stopped, the Killer noticed his eyes flit for a moment to the third man, James Bucannon Barnes, ‘The Winter Soldier’.

Rogers stepped forward, breaking its intense stare at Nick Fury. “Let's start with a name. I'm Steve.”

The Killer said nothing, instead shifting its gaze to Barnes. His eyes were different— not hostile, or pitiful, but with a certain mirror to its own, watching back with the same passive glare.

“Name.” Fury snapped, like its handler. The Killer slammed its whole body forwards to Fury in response, teeth bared slightly. It only wanted to give Fury a good scare, but the man didn’t even flinch. Instaid, it felt another surge of energy pulse through its whole body, until it reluctantly jerked back into position.

The Killer considered its options for a moment, the demand still swirling through its mind, heightened with anger, and twinged with primal fear. “#2647302. Sir.” The Killer spat out at Fury, to his satisfaction. Steve looked with visible concern to James Barnes.

Barnes furrowed his brow grimly, as if it just confirmed one of his theories. “I thought I—” he muttered to himself, shifting his gaze away from the Killer for a moment.

“Shit.” Steve muttered.

“I guess I knew what I was talking about after all, ‘ey Barnes? You can see why I needed you and Steve specifically then.” Fury said, a slight smug grin creeping onto his face.

“They’re only a kid.” Steve repeated, mostly to himself. Barnes placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“Kid.” Barnes started, his eyes scanning the Killer intently. Not like Steve’s, not with pity, or even visible distress, but the slight uncertain shake in his voice gave his true feelings away: concern. Still, it didn’t mind Barnes. The Killer knew well of his past, his similarities to itself. He understood it. “How long have you been wandering?”

It shrugged nonchalantly; it genuinely didn’t know the answer to his question, so it wasn’t even a lie. Fury and Steve stepped back, allowing Barnes to stand directly across from it.

“How did you get out? Is there anyone following you?” Barnes asked.

It thought for a long moment, before deciding to respond. None of them were going to let it out anyway; it didn’t have much to gain from disobedience other than more pain. “They’re dead.” it responded flatly, not mentioning that it was the cause, but it sensed Barnes knew.

Steve looked to Barnes with mild surprise, likely shocked due to the fact it was giving Barnes information so easily, but Barnes kept his focus on the Killer alone, and pressed on, “Hydra?”

The Killer thought for a moment, then shook its head. Ouranos, it was called. Not affiliated with Hydra’s ideals, but leeching off of its tech and resources all the same.

Barnes sighed, not quite relieved, but it sounded like a small weight was lifted from his chest. “Are you the only one?”

The Killer froze—five words. Suddenly, a flood of memories overwhelmed the killer, and it was back to that night.

Kat was curled on the small bed of their cell, enveloped in a warm rage, their face obscured by plumes of curly, shoulder-length, ginger hair. They heard the scientists approach their cell, and glared defiantly at them with piercing, golden eyes.

“Come.” one of the scientists commanded, their current ‘handler’. Kat just snarled back at him.

“Fuck you.” They spat out with confidence, but their actions betrayed them as they pressed their back into the corner wall, already anticipating punishment.

Two guards entered the cell from out of Kat’s view. “Let’s try this again.” the handler spoke, and Kat felt a sharp pain from the chip at the back of their neck, attacking their nerves directly, causing their body to seize stiff in agony, “Come.”

Where Kat once was, all that was left was a husk, a weapon devoid of will, only to obey orders. It followed the handler without thought or protest into the training room.

“Stay.” the handler said, and so it stayed. It watched as more guards and scientists brought a second figure to the opposite end of the room. Short brown hair framed his uncannily identical face, same golden eyes, but his wide with fear. It did not show his same weakness.

The speaker system crackled to life with the voice of its handler, “New mission: Kill.”

It froze. No. Something inside it shattered as it watched the other figure back into a corner. That was- That was their brother, their twin, No! He was always so much weaker than them. Fractured memories sparked to life of them defending him with all they had. This was wrong, they wouldn’t hurt him.

“N-no” Kat fought through their own mind, the control over them breaking. They dropped their fists in defiance and hung their head. They wouldn’t kill their brother, despite everything Kat had become, that was a line they would never— could never cross. “No.”

The handler simply chuckled lightly, sending a rush of overwhelming pain to Kat that sent them crashing to the floor, screaming out in agony. But it was futile. Their handler’s voice pierced the air once more. “Kill.”

“ –re they alright? What happened?” as it faded back into consciousness, it heard Steve Rogers, standing directly in front of its containment unit, same pity filled eyes, like he was looking at a helpless animal.

Fury sighed, and the Killer swore it could see a hint of worry knit between his brows. “Get them to a room; we can finish this later.” Both Steve and Barnes nodded in response.

“Yeah. Let's go, kid.” Barnes said, as he and Steve wheeled the containment unit into a small room. There was a bed with sheets sitting in the corner, a desk with paper and a pen, and two chairs, one pushed into the desk, and one placed nearby.

“Here, this is only for the time being. There's not much in this place in terms of comfort, but you can ask if you want something.” Steve disabled the containment unit, and the… Killer? stumbled out. It looked to Barnes and Steve for a moment, analyzing how best to take them out, before it's fists just… dropped. The commanding hostility overwhelming their mind just beginning to fizzle out. It cautiously inspected the room.

“No traps, no tricks. We only want to help.” Barnes said, his eyes placed firmly on it, not quite untrusting, but cautious. That was why it didn’t seem to mind Barnes; he understood what it was capable of, though he didn’t see it as a means to an end though, unlike Fury.

“....okay..” it nodded, as it hesitantly sat on the bed, back to the wall, ready to fight if necessary.

“You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks, do you have a preference?” Steve asked, food did seem like a good idea. It shook its head; it had no preference.

“You settle in then. I’ll be back in 15 with food.” Barnes said, and the two left.

And with that it was left alone. Not really alone, it wasn’t stupid; this place had cameras and bugs galore, something, someone, watching it constantly, and it was fine with that– that wasn’t new to it in the slightest.

It… It? What was it? No longer a Killer, at least not for now. It went against programming when it chose not to attack Steve and Barnes— did it really though? It stood no chance against either of them alone, let alone together— that wasn’t against programming, just tactical decision making. If it wanted to complete its task, it needed to comply. That was why it told Barnes the truth, why it didn’t fight the two of them, not because it had any care for the inefficient, mushy part of its brain. It was designed to follow orders, to obey protocol, so that’s what it was going to do, these would just be its, albeit unorthodox, handlers. It could survive here.

It was pacing around the room, lost in thought, when a bag hit the desk. It backed immediately, instinctively, into a wall. It didn’t see anyone come in, but there Barnes was, standing there by the desk, watching it. Had it been 15 minutes? A wave of grease and salt and meat hit its nose, and its stomach betrayed it, grumbling.

“Hey.” Barnes said as he pulled out a chair and sat, sliding the other across the room to it, food-smelling bag sat neatly on top. “Eat. Didn’t know what you wanted, figured McDonalds was as good a bet as any.”

It watched Barnes, examined him, then the chair. It prodded the bag lightly with a finger, before peering in. A cardstock container of french fries, and a wrapped cylinder of what it could only assume to be a burger. The smell made its mouth water, it looked back to Barnes in hesitation.

“Go on, not like it's poisoned. Here.” He grabbed the burger from his own bag and took a bite, watching it, like that proved anything. It was starving, though, and reasonably confident in its ability to handle poisons. It took a bite of its own burger, just one. It was greasy, the product of rampant consumerism in a fast world, but god, was it amazing. It scarfed the burger down quickly, the fries quickly following.

Barnes chuckled, “You really were hungry... Have this.” he held out a cup. It examined his every move, looking for tricks. Nothing. It slowly, tentatively stalked across the room to inspect it, before snatching the cup and backing away. It was cold, and smelled of sweet milk and chocolate. It took a small sip, a milkshake, sweet and rich and fantastic.

“I-” it started, trying to remember how best to string its words together, “Thanks…” It chugged the cold chocolaty drink without hesitation as its body eased, allowing its back to slide down the wall to sit, watching Barnes as a slight smile appeared across his face.

“Yeah. Don’t mention it kid.” he said, eating his own food.

It thought for a moment in silence, watching Barnes, analyzing him. “About-” it sucked in a quick breath, “About what you said earlier…” it shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t meant to speak this much. It was to carry out orders, not to converse with its captors, not to thank them, and certainly not to give out classified information. If these were to be its handlers, however, it supposed it was fine— and so it carried on, “About the others… I- He’s-” it couldn’t go on, couldn’t push a note from its suddenly heavy chest, feeling dread deep in its stomach, “Gone.” it pushed through in a ragged voice, “He’s gone.”

Barnes gave an empathetic look. It didn’t have the energy to get mad at his pity, instead choosing to curl in a defensive ball, pulling its knees up to its chest. “Hey,” he dropped down to the floor, meeting it at eye level, “hey, hey, hey, don’t push yourself. Okay kid?”

The world got foggy around it, spinning, but it nodded.

It could tell he was new to this whole consoling thing. It didn’t suit his hardened eyes and passive mild grimace, but he tried anyway. “I have a… a friend. He might be able to help you. Not Steve, someone else. But-...” Barnes sighed, “But he helped me, he can help you too.” His piercing eyes never strayed from its, and it mirrored his stare, allowing him to pull it in like a lifeline. With the way he was looking at it though, its face must have looked less like the hardened stare it intended, and more like a deer in headlights. That’s what it felt like, at least.

The PA system flickered on with the sound of Fury’s voice, “Don’t bother. He’s already on the way.” It jumped slightly at the sudden noise. Something in Barnes visibly loosened, he relaxed in his spot slightly, now fully sitting on the floor, opposite to it.

The two sat in silence for a few long moments, it wasn’t sure how long. Barnes said nothing, but with his hands to accentuate, he began breathing deliberately. His perfectly even breath slowed, and it followed suit.

The PA system eventually flickered back on with the sound of Fury’s voice, it didn’t jump. “He’s here, Barnes. Get them in cuffs and escort them to interrogation room B.”

Barnes nodded, “Yeah.” He stood, and grabbed cuffs from outside of the room, and slowly, deliberately, walked to it. “You ready?” It nodded, and Barnes crouched down to put them on. It didn’t fight his touch, or the cuffs, its arms going limp in his hands as he put them on and helped it to its feet. “lets go” he said, his voice softer than before. It followed as Barnes led him down corridors, to a discreet interrogation room. Barnes was clearly taking it down the scenic route, avoiding the crowded pathways, though it was unsure if that was for its own sake, or the protection of the staff. It fought its urge to attack the few they did pass, quite glad to avoid the crowds of agents with guns and tense spiteful stares.

Barnes entered the room, and it followed. It recognized the man across the table as Sam Wilson, ‘The Falcon’. It sat down opposite of him, watching him. Sam smiled lightly, likely in some attempt to get it to drop its guard. “You sure they’re not a clone? They’ve got the whole brooding glare down to a T,” he said, as shooed Barnes away half-heartedly, “Fury debriefed me; I can take it from here.”

Barnes nodded. “I’ll be outside.” and he left, leaving it alone with Wilson, well, Wilson, and the cameras, and hidden microphones, and what was clearly a one way mirror.

“Hey, I’m Sam. How are you feeling?” His eyes were steady, but… soft. His voice unwavering, but also caring, it was warm. It thought for a long moment, not quite sure if it should respond, or even how. It wasn’t supposed to feel at all. It just shrugged. “That’s okay, you have something I can call you?” Again? It didn’t see why names were so necessary, they only served as distractions.

It was silent for a long moment, analyzing Sam’s every movement for possible threat, nothing. “#2647302, Sir.” It said, flatly.

Sam nodded with a sigh, “You’re no joke then, real ‘Winter Soldier’ type.” he lowered his guard, deliberately, but it didn’t take the opening to attack, “You’re safe here. Whatever happened out there, whatever mess you left behind, it can’t get you here.” He paused, giving it room to speak if it needed, but it only nodded, silent.

“I can work with nods, if that’s all you can do. Fury tells me though that you spoke in full sentences to Bucky on multiple occasions, is there a reason for that?”

It thought for a while, debating whether or not it should speak at all. “....Barnes is… different… I- I didn’t like Fury.. He gave me orders. Steve looked at me like I was wounded, I didn’t like that either…” it trailed off, every syllable feeling forced and deliberate, “You… I guess you seem fine..”

“You talk” he grinned lightly, it didn’t mind his casual attitude, preferred it, honestly. His voice was warm, easy to talk to, easy to listen, “This is good, it’s progress. I’m glad you feel like you can talk to me, it’ll go a long way. Let’s expand on some of that, what about the way Steve looked at you made you upset?”

It shrugged, thought for a moment. “I-...” it breathed in deeply, almost in preparation, “I don’t like being pitied.”

Sam nodded, “Okay, good. Expand on that, why?”

“Why?..” it puzzled, why was that? When did it start? “...I- I’m not something that should be pitied, empathized with. I-... I’m not… human… anymore.”

Sam raises his eyebrows “Not human? Did someone tell you that, or did you come to that conclusion on your own?” Sam asked on, it… never thought about it before, just a statement of fact.

It shrugged “I-... I’ve ki-” it breathed in, breath suddenly ragged, “I’ve done a lot of bad things, r-really bad.” panic surged through its veins, heart rate quickened as it felt its body shake. Stop it stop it stop it stop it, don’t think, don’t feel, don’t let yourself feel weak. The world swirled around it, threatening to swallow it whole.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, you’re not there anymore. None of what you did was your fault, okay? Stay with me, listen to my voice, come back.” his voice was warm and smooth, like the stone brick fireplace they once loved to get absorbed in. What? How do they- How does it remember? Still, it was enough to pull it back into its body, its eyes refocusing, it was here.

“I want you to do something for me, take a deep breath in, focus on something you can taste.” Sam said in a warm even voice. Taste? It took a deep breath, milk, or, the aftertaste of it at least, the salt of the fries. “Did you do that? Take another breath, now what you can smell.” it took another breath. The air was stale, but- but it smelled the faintness of an air freshener in the air, the world slowed its spin. “That’s good, take another, what can you hear?” It heard Sam’s warm voice, that was easy, it heard the clicking of footsteps distantly outside, it took another breath, “Take another, touch next, what do you feel?” It felt the cold, hard chair it sat in, it felt the cuffs around its wrists, it took a breath. “Finally, what do you see” it focused its eyes, the room no longer spun, it was back, it was there.

“You.” it said, now focusing on slowing its breathing, syncing it with Sam’s. It was okay, it was okay.

Sam nodded, a slight relieved smile on his face. “Good.” he let it take a break for a moment to breathe, “That was a grounding exercise, okay? When you feel in your own head, you can use it to help regain awareness of your surroundings.”

“......sorry..” it whispered to it, tensed up slightly. It let itself be weak, made him have to help it.

“Don’t apologize, you have nothing to apologize for, okay?” he stopped to let the words sink in. ��We can be done if you need, a lot has happened today.” It only nodded, staring at the table, then up to Sam. Sam gave it a comforting look in return, “Okay, I’ll give you a moment to breathe, and then we can call in Bucky to take you back to your room, does that sound good?”

“yeah.” It nodded, tried its best to reflect his warm eyes back, though even it knew just it came off as a glare.

Sam left, and after a few long moments, Barnes came back in, it nodded to him in silent recognition and stood, a hint of a softness flickered on Barnes’s face. “Let’s go.” And so they left. The walk back was nicer, there were less people, sure, but even the ones it did come across it was put less on edge by; though, they were certainly put on edge by the two of them. Barnes allowed the two of them to linger by windows when he saw it looking out of one, though they said next to nothing to each other until they reached its room. It was… really nice, actually.

When they reached its room and went inside, Barnes took off its cuffs, and handed it a candy bar. “From Steve. Heard you liked the fast food, was his idea in the first place, so, more junk food." It inspected the wrapper, Hershey's milk chocolate. It unwrapped the bar and bit down, it tasted like heaven. It scarfed the bar down, the corners of its mouth pulling into something of a smile, or at the very least a fond expression. Barnes chuckled lightly, “I’ll tell him to keep the sweets coming.”

It wiped the corners of its mouth with the corner of its sleeve. “Tell him… thanks, and-... and that I’m sorry. For being an ass.” it looked away.

Barnes nodded with a slight smile. “Yeah. ‘Course.” he motioned over to its bed, “Get sleep, if you can.”

It nodded as it sat on its bed, “Yeah, okay.” As Barnes left, it buried itself in sheets and pillows, more than enough to fully cover itself, it was the most blankets and pillows it had ever remembered having. Sleep didn’t come easy for it, it never did, but through some mix of days worth of fatigue, and the soft warmness of the bed, it eventually fell asleep.

Kat looked around, they were in a forest, soft soil and mosses hugged their bare feet, their hands caked in mud. They recognised this place, though they were unsure from where, with their mind and memories so scrambled. They walked, letting their subconscious mind take over, the chilled winds hugging their skin, blowing back curly orange locks from their face. They felt calm here, safe. A part of them missed this, the part of them that remembered what ‘this’ was in the first place, they assumed. It was… nice, though, not feeling the constant rush of energy through their veins, no adrenaline pulsing through their brain. They heard the babbling of a stream, and something in them compelled them to walk towards it, it was only then when they saw- it… it was home. They couldn’t remember, but something inside of them longed for the oak cabin they saw, just past the flowing stream. Something inside of them compelled them to rush for the front door, dashing across the stream without caution as warm soles met frigid water. Their mind ached with feelings of home, eager to return to their old life. They flung open the door, warm grin ot the- No. Nononononononono, stop, this isn’t right.

As the door opened, it was instead their cell that met them on the other side. Kat tried to run, of course they did, but there were guards on either side of them. They pushed back, tried to fight, but they couldn’t, not with that damned chip in their neck, as it sent a paralyzingly sharp pain directly to their nerves that made their whole body give out, as guards threw them to the wall of their cell.

They got up quicker than they should have, only spent a few grueling minutes writhing in pain before they could finally move, only a few more before they were on their feet, dizzy with the sound of their heartbeat pounding in their chest, blood rushing in their ears. The sickeningly familiar feeling of power rushing through their veins ever present. “DAMMIT!” they screamed out, the beginnings of furious tears hot in their eyes, before a guard banged on their cell door.

“Shut the fuck up! Before I come in there and make you.” The guard threatened from outside their cell.

“Not back here, please not back here.” They lowered their voice to a panicked whisper, searching around the room for their stashed fragments of tech, they almost had enough to make a full keycard, they’d been teaching themself how, maybe, just maybe, they could make their escape. But where the bits of tech should have been, there were only sticky notes, perfectly identical smiles on each of them, a cruel joke of their subconscious mind. They never made that keycard, never got the chance to escape.

“Someone wants to meet you.” a cruel voice said, their past handler, as 4 guards entered their cell. Memories flooded through their mind.

“No no no no no please, not today.” they slammed their back to the wall, attempting to gain enough force to break the chip off and fight their way out, “GET ME OUT OF THIS FUCKING DREAM!” they screamed, their voice going rasp, “LET ME THE FUCK OUT!” The undamaged chip on their neck released a sharp pain that flooded their senses, left them buckling to the floor, allowing the guards to take him easily.

“She doesn’t like waiting, you know.” the handler said with a snarl as the 4 guards dragged their limp body from the room. No, please, anyone but her. They tried to scream, to run, to fight, but they couldn’t move their fragile, heavy body as they were dragged into another room and thrown to the floor. On the other half of the room was a tall woman with a stone cold expression that radiated total authority. Nonononononononono- They couldn’t- not this again.

A cold hand brushed its shoulder, causing it to bolt up immediately. Fear and delirium clouded its senses as it blindly attacked the figure full force, until a cold hand caught its fist. Barnes. Its eyes darted frantically across his form, he was calm, deliberate. Barnes’s piercing eyes stared sharp and unchanging, until it finally dropped its fist, its surroundings still swirling around them. “I-” its voice hitched in a shaky breath, “I didn’t-” it fought with its own body to get a word out, its breaths ragged and uneven. Barnes began breathing deliberately, his flesh hand subtly illustrating the way his chest moved up and down on rhythm, it attempted to follow suit. “I was there.” it stated, trying its best to steel its voice.

“I know.” Barnes nodded, as he sat down beside the bed. It thought for a moment, head still spinning, before joining him on the floor, legs tucked tightly to its chest.

The two sat in silence for a few long moments as its spinning mind became reality. It focused on its breath, and Barnes’s, as it sat there, allowing the silent calmness to pull it back in like a lifeline. “Why are you here?” it looked to Barnes, methodical in everything he did, but… warm– in a way it had never seen him before.

Barnes met its eyes in a shrug, “Would they send a regular person to interrupt the nightmare of a dangerously unstable super soldier?”

It looked away with a small chuckle, “No.” it thought for a moment, eyes glued to the floor. “How do you…” it cut itself off briefly, struggling to find the words, “Do you have them– Nightmares? Ghosts.” it of course knew of the Winter Soldier, more than it would prefer to let on. Hydra was the one to commision its own creation, a backup for if it- if he was ever put out of commission, or more likely, if Hydra fell apart from the inside, and the buyer found himself on the wrong end of the Winter Soldiers barrel. That is all to say it was given detailed files on the Winter Soldier, and the Avengers, and it knew all about the ‘Bucky Barnes’ sat silently next to it, what they did to him, the atrocities he’d committed. How was it he could live such a normal life with these Avengers, how was it he found the strength to sleep at ni-

“Yeah,” Barnes’ voice cut through its stream of thoughts as he turned to it, its eyes flit up to meet him. His eyes were softer, his expression of genuine empathy. “I do. But you learn to be more than the ghosts. You find people, people who drive you to be more than what they made you. ‘One foot in front of the other.’” he placed a hand gently on its shoulder, it didn’t flinch. “You’ll be alright.” he gives a comforting smile, warm, in a way he’d only shown glimpses of before, the coldness knit into his features gone. This was not the Winter Soldier, hadn’t been for a long time. A part of it envied him for it, his ability to move on; It hoped he was right.

As Barnes finally left the room, sleep came easier to it. It found itself drifting off not back into another nightmare, but comforting silence. Barnes’ words echoed through its mind like silent promises for better days to come, and oddly, it found itself believing him. It smiled.

The coming weeks were a blur to it as it became more acclimated to life there. It met with Sam almost daily, it went in for a physical check up it hated, but they had to monitor the long term effects of its modifications. Bucky, Steve, and Sam became regular figures in its new life, Bucky providing practical stability, and Sam giving it a place to process its emotions. It was more hesitant with Steve, Sam had said they both had ‘warring personalities’, which just meant it got along with him like oil and water, but Steve kept trying to branch out, and in turn, it lowered its hostility to him.

It wasn’t allowed outside of its room without Barnes or Steve as a safety precaution, but it decided that was fine. This facility remained infinitely better than anything Ouranos had done for it, so it mirrored that with good behavior, following their orders without complaint. It had even picked up on whispers of transferring it to less strict containment, under supervision, of course.

Steve came into its room with a knock, it was time for it to meet with Sam again. “Hey kid, you ready to go?” he threw it a Reese’s, a personal favorite. Sam said it was good to have opinions, and in its opinion, Reese’s were a gift to the world.

It eagerly tore open the packaging as it nodded, and followed Steve out. “Where’s Barnes?” it asked, before shoving the peanut butter cup into its mouth. He was usually here, with Steve. The two were close –Steve and Barnes– and it didn’t often see the two apart for long.

“He’s out on a mission, sorry kid.” Steve said as they both walked, a slight frown tugged at its lips. Another opinion began to form, it liked Barnes. “Aw, chin up, Buck ’ll be back before you know it.”

It nodded, “I know.” It paused, and offered Steve the other peanut butter cup, a silent peace offering. “...Here.” a wide smile spread across Steve’s face in response. That kind of openness tended to piss it off, it still did, but it managed not to recoil– Sam said it needed to allow others to show care for it. It didn’t quite enjoy others treating it like anything other than the weapon it was designed to be, but Sam said that was a necessary step in ‘regaining their humanity’. It trusted Sam, however, and so it complied begrudgingly.

Steve must have noticed the change in its demeanor, because his warm excitement softened slightly. “Thank you.”

It nodded, fiddling with the wrapper in its hands. It no longer needed the cuffs, the blind aggression from when it was the Killer having mostly subsided, but it still noticed how both Barnes and Steve would take it down routes with the least foot traffic, and would tense up when it was near unfamiliar people. It was warranted, of course; even if it no longer desired to kill them, it could see the way it made others react, and it would not lie and say it didn’t plan the ways it could take them all out, if given the order.

Steve stopped when they approached the door, as it stood in attention behind him. “This is your stop.” he joked, but it only nodded as it entered the interrogation room.

Sam sat casually at the table, “Ah, kid, glad you could make it.” it glided into the seat across from him with a quiet grace. “Have you thought about what I said about that name? It would be a big step in allowing yourself to reclaim a sense of identity” he said, his demeanor warm and welcoming. Sam had the unique ability to shift the energy of the room to match his disposition, the harsh metals and cameras softening in his presence as it adjusted lightly in its seat.

It thought for a moment, before shaking its head, “It’s… It’s hard. Seeing myself like that… Like a person.” It looked down to its hands, flexing them lightly. It thought about how quickly Fury had allowed it to walk cuffless. He said it was because they were unnecessary, that both Steve and Barnes could take it out if the need araised, but it knew it was because Sam said it would help it in recovery. It was more surprised to see Fury agree so easily, having that kind of threat loose. In even the simplest of terms it was a bio-weapon, and not one even Fury seemed keen on utilizing– not yet, at least. “It’s just hard.”

Sam nodded, knowingly. “Your identity has been a loaded topic since you came here, it’s alright to have difficulty unpacking it on your own. Do you want to finally talk about it?”

It paused for a long moment, before nodding slightly, “Okay.” it took a deep breath in, almost mentally readying itself, “How?”

His expression softened with understanding as he spoke, “We can start wherever. What is it specifically that makes seeing yourself like a person so hard? Did you always see yourself like that? Really, it can be anything.” he said, offering potential jumping off points in his same welcoming, fire-warm voice.

It took a moment to steel itself, before starting hesitantly “I… I wasn’t always like… this.” it gestured vaguely to itself, what it was made, what it had become, “I remember… a forest, and a cabin… My house, I think.”

“Right, from those recurring dreams you’ve been having?” he asked, his expression thoughtful, and with a comforting warmness, urging it to continue.

It nodded slightly, “I remember-...” it stopped, briefly choked, but it pushed through. “My brother.” Kit. The world fogged around it as its mind began to spiral, it could feel its body begin to shake as its eyes unfocused. It gripped its forearms tightly, trying desperately to pull itself back in. “Whoever I was- They could never have done what I have.” it choked out, eyes hot with the threat of tears.

“Hey,” he started, voice filling with alarm as he leaned in, “Hey hey hey, stay with me, listen to my voice”

It tried to focus on his voice, to reel itself in, but the words kept pouring out. “I killed him.” it whispered, before repeating again, louder, “I killed him. And I- I can’t even remember it.” How could it call itself his sibling after that, how could it even be his sibling after that. Kit was gone, along with every other helpless soul they’d ever pitted it against. It always told itself it was just survival, but not when it was fighting its own brother.

Sam placed a hand firmly on its shoulder, “That wasn’t your choice, you can’t hold yourself responsible for what they made you do.” he said firmly, warmness radiating from him. They were words he had told it many times before, but they never felt real to it.

“One minute, I hear the order, the command. Kill. And the next-” in paused, throwing its arms out in furious anguish, “Im outside of the facility, blood on my hands— …There was no one left in that thing.”

He paused, his voice softening to a whisper, “It wasn’t your fault.” his voice was warm and comforting, but it wasn’t enough to pull it from its own spiraling mind.

“I’m not human anymore, not after that. I’m a weapon.” it paused, its demeanor softening as it quieted, “I’m a monster.” it looked away from Sam, instead pinning its eyes to the table. It was true, it was set to become Ouranos’ prized weapon, and it was good at it.

“Hey. Don’t think like that, don’t get caught up in it.” he responded firmly, squeezing its shoulder reassuringly, “You’re not a weapon, and you’re not a monster, okay?” in his voice it could tell he believed it, if only it could have that same faith in itself.

“You don’t know that.” it snapped back, “You haven’t seen the things I’ve done. I’m sure every other experiment I was pitted against thought I was one, I’m sure Kit-” it stopped, quieting, “.... no. He didn’t, he never would’ve….”

Sam eased his hand off of Kat’s shoulder, “You were just a kid in a fucked up situation, don’t put the blame on yourself. You have a choice now, kid. You get to decide what you do next, and you know what?” it looked up to meet his eyes, but said nothing, so he continued, “Here, let’s back up a bit. Do you remember last week, when you snapped at Steve? Said he was ‘just a piece of shit with a hero complex, and if he was so desperate to save everyone, fly-’”

“‘Another plane into an iceberg to save everyone from his bullshit’, you really know how to make me feel better.” it grimaced. It was the only time it had heard Fury genuinely laugh, but it had firmly decided that wasn’t a good thing. It remembered how overwhelmed it felt, how hurt Steve looked.

“I’m not finished, do you remember what happened after? You felt so bad, you worried to Bucky that Steve would be too mad to even go near you again. And you know what you did after? You apologized. Would a monster really do that?” he asked, and his logic was flawed, but it understood what Sam was saying.

“What are you-” it started, brows furrowing in what could almost be confusion. “That- That doesn’t-”

“Kid.” Sam said firmly, cutting it off, “You are hurt, your past is messy, but you are not their weapon anymore, and you are not a monster. You got that?” his eyes were completely genuine, but with an underlying firmness and what could almost be urgency.

“You really believe that.” it stated, and it was a fact, Sam clearly did. The room fell into silence for a long moment, before it broke the silence, “What am I then to you? What is it you see in me?”

Sam chuckled slightly, but his warm voice remained genuine, “Well let me see. You’re smart, you’re witty, you’ve got one hell of a sweet tooth.” he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, “I see a 16 year old kid, who went through too much, too young. I see a kid who’s been hurt more times than they can count, but they’re strong, they’ve had to be their whole life.” he paused again, sighing. “You’re broken, kid, and you’re only now learning how to pick up the pieces.” he places a comforting hand on its arm.

The two sat in silence for a long while after that as Kat took it all in. It supposed that could all be considered true, but after everything it had done, how was it ever supposed to see itself as anything other than the monster that killed its brother.

“My name… before everything, it was Kat.” it looked away with a slight smile, “Kit and I were too small to remember our real ones… they took away everything from our past, you know? So we made new ones.” it chuckled as it remembered back to the years before they were separated. Kit would always joke and laugh through it all, figuring out all the ways to break the rules in new and creative ways. He’d even smuggled in sweets a couple times for the two of them— until he was taken. “Kit-Kat.” it snorted lightly, “Sort of silly, isn’t it? But Kit always knew how to joke like that.”

Sam smiled slightly, “That’s really sweet. You two were really close, weren’t you?” he asked. Close was an understatement for the two of them, at least when they were together. Kit was its twin, they were inseparable— well, poor choice of words, it supposed. They were separated, and spent over 6 years apart, and then— it didn’t want to think about that right now.

“Yeah… I mean, he’s my– he was my twin. He was my best friend.” it looked away as tears filled its eyes. It had no right to call him that, it had no right to be Kat. “I–” it choked, “How could I still be Kat? How could they do something like that to him?”

Sam paused thoughtfully before responding, “That’s not an uncommon way to process grief and trauma, especially given your circumstances.” he said, it could tell he was treading lightly, but he spoke with such comforting certainty, that it was hard not to trust in him. “Your past doesn’t define you, you don’t have to let Ouranos, or anyone else define you. You can be someone new in spite of them, whether that’s Kat, or someone else entirely.”

“Corny.” it retorted, eyes glinting with humor. It sat with his words for it doesn’t know how long. It wanted to be more than a weapon– hell, just wanting proved that it was. “I- I want to be what you see in me. I don’t want to be a weapon anymore.” it looked away, but in it was a certain resolve.

“Well then, that settles it. Who do you want to be then?” Sam’s voice was oddly prideful, prideful in it; he was proud of it.

It thought about his question, it remembered the way Kit always looked at it, from back when they were kids in the forest, he looked up to them. He thought it was so strong even then, but it was weak without him. In the facility he was what kept it going, kept Kat going, and when they took him away it nearly broke. When he came back it had changed, became something violent and unrecognizable, but Kit still looked at it like it was strong, like there was something more inside of it, something warm like before. “He saw me as strong and warm even when Ouranos controlled me. He was wrong though, he was always the stronger of us.” it smirked, but it only felt a melancholy sadness, “I want to be the person he saw in me, even when I’m not sure a person was there. I want to be Kat.”

ANYWAYS I have more technically, but I write mainly on paper. Also Im sry google doc to tumblr translation is a pain in the ass so some of the italics and formatting might be fucked

[sukirichi]

sukirichi’s 2.4k milestone event

weee another milestone and nooo i couldn’t wait for 2.5k because i’m so excited and happy, thank you so much! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ including HAIKYUU this time around yeeeee! also i don’t have a restaurant aesthetic anymore, just kind of goofing around now! REQUESTS ARE OPEN. 

before you request...

please read about my writings first! it will include the stuff i write and don’t write about. i’m more flexible in nsfw works, so if you really want to try for a kink, just send me in and if the idea is up to my liking, we’ll see how it goes! 

please be patient and nice! if i don’t like the tone of your request or if you’re ‘demanding’ me, aka, “hey, write this for me, this concept...” your ask will immediately be deleted!

no requesting of the same idea to other writers please!

please keep in mind i don’t do too much canon-heavy plots, aka really specific canon events and how they lead up to one another. i don’t read the manga for both jjk and haikyuu ʕっ• ᴥ • ʔっ

I do not do headcanons anymore. I’m not good at them LMAO.

i feel a lot more laid back in my writings now, so i’ll only be taking requests that i want to write for! the accepted requests will be listed down below as i organize them

you may refer to my first milestone event if you want more ideas for AU requests! you no longer need to include the numbers/spices/ingredients format used in that. just send whatever idea you want ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. whichever idea i love the MOST will be turned into a series just because I want to try new things hehe!

— characters i can write anything for (nsfw & sfw)

: gojo satoru, fushiguro megumi, fushiguro toji, choso, ryoumen sukuna, nanami kento

: suna rintarou, kageyama tobio, tsukishima kei, miya twins, kita shinsuke, oikawa tooru, ushijima wakatoshi, bokuto koutarou, akaashi keiji, tetsuro kuroo

— characters i can only write sfw for

: itadori yuuji, inumaki toge, okkotsu yuuta

: kenma kozume

— characters i’m MOST eager to write simp for

: fushiguro megumi, choso, naoya zenin, ryoumen sukuna, gojo satoru

: suna rintarou, kageyama tobio, kita shinsuke, oikawa tooru, akaashi keiji

accepted requests: (only accepting the ones that interest me for now!)

favorites marked as ⭐

RYOUMEN SUKUNA: hello love!! i know it LITERALLY just came out but would you consider a pt 2 or a drabble for sweet lies? where megumi either catches her and sukuna or she genuinely starts moving on uasdfghj i'm convinced that megumi heard her fucking sukuna in the bathroom <3 anyways pls feel free to ignore me too

RYOUMEN SUKUNA: Ma’am , i beg of u ,,, spare husband! sukuna x wife! reader drabble. I just read your arranged marriage AU and lordddd i’m obsessed. How long did it take for him to take her virginity 😳? i’m so curious as to how that went down read here: black magic [02]

⭐⭐ RYOUMEN SUKUNA:  Yooooo how about Rockstar Sukuna seducing his manager ehehehehe~ 

⭐ RYOUMEN SUKUNA: Ok but... pirate captain Sukuna 👀👀👀 I’m havin some Thots ngl 🥵🤤 I can’t decide whether reader should be the first mate and they’re a kickass Power Couple 💪😎or if she should be a stowaway who gets found out and has to pay for her passage with her body 😩😉

OKKOTSU YUTA: We both be weak for yuuta and toge😩 congrats 2.4k btw. so i'll request that for the event! poly!yuuta and toge. i see that you only write sfw for them so fluff. u can think of anything you want for it..and yes we simp for both of them i love them sm🤧

⭐ OKKOTSU YUTA: Hi saw that your request are open and congrats for the 2.4k !! 🎊 if possible can i please request yuuta having a girlfriend that's his childhood friend? (So like instead of rika it's y/n and she doesn't die) that loves to dote on him cause that boy needs some love. Thank you!! <3 | kiss me more

⭐ OKKOTSU YUTA: Hi can i request a scenario in which inumaki and okkotsu gets hit with a curse(?) That makes them a clone but the clone is a kid and seeing their gf taking care of the baby please thank youuu

INUMAKI TOGE: Toge's S/O being so sad that even when he says "smile" it doesn't work( also saw that in TikTok)

⭐ INUMAKI TOGE: Hi can i request a scenario in which inumaki and okkotsu gets hit with a curse(?) That makes them a clone but the clone is a kid and seeing their gf taking care of the baby please thank youuu

INUMAKI TOGE: We both be weak for yuuta and toge😩 congrats 2.4k btw. so i'll request that for the event! poly!yuuta and toge. i see that you only write sfw for them so fluff. u can think of anything you want for it..and yes we simp for both of them i love them sm🤧

⭐ INUMAKI TOGE: Hi! Congrats on 2.4k!!🤩 For the event, may I request an au where reader is Yuuta's sister? Can be gn/fem reader anything is fine. And they fall in love with Toge? Fluff fluff fluff please🥺Maybe they meet one day when she went to visit the school? Or she's a new sorcerer. Aahhhh I can't think of anything so I'll leave it up to your wonderful mind😌 Thank you! And again congrats! | crush

INUMAKI TOGE: SUKI OMG SIREN AU WITH TOGE AND DEAF READERHis voice hypnotizes all who hear it but she’s unaffected and he’s shook lmao 😂 She teaches him human sign language so they can communicate 🥺 maybe when he realizes he likes her he brings her seashells and other shiny things from the sea floor and it’s so cute 🥰 just 🥺🥺 siren Toge 🥺🥺🥺 (DEBATING)

GOJO SATORU: Hello dear Suki! 🤗 congrats on your more than deserved milestone 👏🏼🥳 I know it’s not the restaurant aesthetic anymore but still, thank you for being a Michelin-star chef spoiling the fandom with your food 🤤👀 I’d love to request the following: ingredient 66 with sugar 8 & 9 and Gojou as cherry on top 🥰 some heavy angst with a happy / smutty ending. additional 🍪 for inspiration - „Best friends don’t look at each other the way you look at her. You never know what will happen, tomorrow might be too late“. Have a lovely day dear 💕

GOJO SATORU: Congrats on 2.4K!!!! May I please request a fic where the reader has like. Zero reaction to Gojo? And he’s kinda shook bc people either adore him or hate him, but here’s reader acting like he’s just a normal dude. And he starts falling for her bc he’s never experienced that before

⭐ GOJO SATORU: a reader that likes Gojo but immediately says N O P E bc they clock that he’s at risk of breaking their heart so they just try to avoid getting close to him despite being a teacher stuck with him a lot of the time. And Gojo is just like ??? But I like you??? Why are you always avoiding me? “I’m tired of you acting like I can’t commit to something. Committing to you is easy.”

⭐ GOJO SATORU: ♡Soft nsfw scenario with s/o and gojo while outside is snowing read here: cold

⭐ GOJO SATORU: Ohoho~ another milestone! Congrats~Can I get Vampire!Satoru x Monster Hunter!Reader where he “proves” to her that all of his victims came willingly(I think from the AU choice you’ll know exactly who I am lol 😉)

⭐ GOJO SATORU: hello! first and foremost, congratulations on reaching 2.4k! i love your writing and its just oh my goodness <3 your stories made my heart squeezed! second of all, i'd like to propose a request for a story. fluff/angst (up to you! your way of writing is just superb) mixed with nsfw gojo satoru. a modern business tycoon au where he just lost his wife and is overprotective of his 1 year old toddler. you're his new staff in the office and is treated badly bcs you know, new staff. one day, you stumbled upon your boss and his baby in a shop, who wont stop crying and he took an interest in you when you managed to calm his kid down. he hired you as his babysitter + made you move into his estate. from there, your life changed! also, thank you for accompanying my days with your stories, it's marvelous! 💕

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NAOYA ZENIN MY BAE: okay i thought you might like this idea for the event (or maybe not lol) - naoya coming home to his beloved little housewife and feels like giving her a treat for being such a good girl.,,.,, read: man's gonna re-arrange your guts and have some soft moments with you after (not that he would ever admit that shsghshsj) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | good girl

NAOYA ZENIN MY BAE: Stage magician Naoya and his cute little assistant, where every other trick works to undress or strategically rip her outfit so he can show off his little bunny to the crowd before fucking her brainless backstage

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NAOYA ZENIN MY BAE:  listen ,,,,, ur naoya hate fic goes crazy stupid may i add something. naoya being overprotective like reader is so pretty and many of the clan men look at them a lottttt and naoya out of nowhere will kiss you in front of them or will grab them in front the maids and workers. then reader becomes mad and they get into an argument and then hate fuck :D lmaoo  (THIS REQUEST PLEASEEEE SEND ME TO HEAVEN) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ NAOYA ZENIN MY BAE: Omg Suki! Congrats on the 2.4k! So uhmm I decided to take a break from the Kita/Naoya twin au angst 👉👈 idk if you are still accepting requests but HAS ANYONE EVER MENTIONED OR HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED SUGAR DADDY NAOYA????? 🥺 -🌸

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI: Megumi being insecure about his eyes because they are a very light green colour( like in manga) so he wears blue contacts( I saw that on TikTok and... big brain energy)

⭐ FUSHIGURO MEGUMI: SUKI, HI! First of all, congrats on 2.4K you absolutely deserve every single milestone coming your way 💞💞If it’s not too much to ask may I request a one-shot with megumi where he’s jealous that his fem!crush is spending more time with Itadori and sees how she enjoys his company a lot but it’s purely platonic? Reader likes megumi too and they both need that push in the right direction?Thanks so much if you decide to write this 🥺💖 I seriously love your writing and your big brain sm

CHOSO: Could you write something with Choso and the reader that has a toxic mother (if that actually exists.  She controls everything the reader does, and plays with her mind/ feelings making her feel like she's the bad one)?But after a fight with the mom, the reader has enough and just leaves deciding they will finally do what they want, ending up at a tattoo shop, where Choso is the tattoo artist.Ngl, i'd like this to be nsfw because i am thirsting for this man ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)Don't really have kink preferences but if you could include size and breeding kink then i'd be hella thankful ☺

GETOU SUGURU: Yo how about a Victorian AU with Gentleman Thief!Getou and Debutante!Reader nsfw 👀👀 maybe she hears something in the dark and goes to investigate and gets pressed to the wall with a knife at her throat 👀🥵

FUSHIGURO TOJI: can we get a part two of the "lessons learned" toji fic 👉🏽👈🏽 maybe him fucking and overstimulating her so hard she cries and begs for mercy but no mercy will be given. maybe he uses the same handcuffs she used for him on her 🥰 maybe some manhandling cause im a hoe for letting a man throw me around

⭐ KAGEYAMA TOBIO (fckin finally): kageyama tobio x reader fic for mutual virginity loss? maybe they just haven’t had time with him being a fancy schmancy volleyball player, maybe there’s just nerves, i don’t know! i’ll leave it up to u babe <3

⭐ SUNA RINTARO: hi!! congrats on the 2.4k HEHE just wanted to request a suna and tattoo/flower shop au? idk just the thought of tattooed suna is like. mm yes

⭐ SUNA RINTARO/AKAASHI KEIJI: hi suki!! i’m so excited for your event! so i rarely ever see someone else who loves both akaashi and suna so i was wondering if you could write something for them! maybe apocalypse au?? or roommate au?? i was thinking y/n could have a relationship/be fuck buddies with one of them and some smutty exhibitionism happens with the other watching, and then some pining that ends in a threesome if you write those! if not, then just a smutty n filthy little love triangle that you can choose an ending for lol (a happy one would be nice bc my heart can only handle so much angst, but really it’s up to you and what inspires you!!) tysm for doing this event and always working so hard <3

⭐ OIKAWA TOORU: hi i love your writing!! can i please request work au (boss oikawa x secretary fem reader?) with degradation and him fucking your in the window 😭💗💗

[iam93percentstardust]

hi! i really like your writing and was wondering if you’d recommend other authors that you enjoy or even specific fanfics you like? i’ve only just started getting into the steve/tony fandom and want to follow more people! thank you!

Hi there and welcome! We’re glad to have you here!! 💙

I’m more of an MCU kind of gal myself but if you’re interested in the comics, I highly recommend checking out the below authors and fics:

Living in the Future by Closer: Eighteen-year-old Tony Stark is the boy genius who woke Captain America, and now he's stuck with him. That's not a bad thing, but between Steve's wide-eyed wonder at the new world and Tony's little fanboy crush, the awkwardness just keeps happening.

@blossomsinthemist: seriously one of the best smut authors I’ve ever read with lots of feelings, trust me, you won’t regret getting into their works

@sineala: been writing Marvel since approximately 2014 (though if you like their works, it’s worth reading their other stuff as well even if you’re not familiar with the fandom, it’s all that good) and has written a lot of the classics including Like a Comet Streaming On and Slipping off the Page into Your Hands

Stars Fading, but I Linger On, Dear by Chibisquirt: A Soulmate AU where people meet their soulmate in their dreams. Of course, not even that solves all the world's problems, especially if one or more of the soulmates has a secret identity...

MCU and Ambiguous Fandom:

@festiveferret: has written so much and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve stumbled across something that they’ve written at least once, writes both on tumblr and on ao3 but everything they post on tumblr is also cross-posted to ao3 so you don’t have to go digging through their blog to find ficlets

@no-gorms: has literally the most interesting AUs, I always read whatever is new pretty much the moment it comes out, can promise lots of feelings and happy endings

A Series of Learning Experiences by @riotfalling: In which Tony finds out that his tiny artist boyfriend is not a nice boy. In the best possible way. (Riot doesn’t write much Stevetony but what she does write is amazing)

Heart in Hand by janonny: Or the story where Tony, an Omega, holds a much belated Courting Ceremony. Steve joins up and loses his mind a little.

@maguna-stxrk: writes lots of fluff here on tumblr

@omg-just-peachy: widely acknowledged as the inventor of fluff

@itsallavengers: no longer as active but writes the most heartbreaking angst with a happy ending, you will feel so many things, has written classics like Versions of Reality and Nobody Panic, Everything’s Fine

@aurumacadicus: I’ve said before (I think on the stuckony reclist) that her version of Tony is my favorite but I’m going to say it again: seriously, fantastic Tony

Finding Pack by @naferty: In a world where pack means everything from status to fame to survival and to family, newly pack-less Tony Stark is trying to survive after those he once trusted betrayed him, and starting over by searching for a new pack to take him in, but with his age and status weighing heavily on his shoulders finding someone to take a chance on him might be easier said than done.What pack wanted an old infertile omega in their ranks? Certainly not the famous Avengers pack led by the equally famous Captain. (one day this fic will be finished and when that happens, I will scream for three days straight)

@sabrecmc: hmmm yes, especially check out Celestial Navigation and The Prize (also has an incredibly comprehensive rec blog, @sabrecmcstonyficrecs)

Sunrise by NotEvenCloseToStraight: Nomad is a soldier forced to do Hydra's bidding. When his mission takes him to the castle and to the bed chambers of Prince Antony Stark, Nomad is faced with a choice-- to finish his mission and finally earn his freedom or to save the last piece of his scarred soul and let the beautiful Prince live.Antony is trapped in the Palace, his life controlled by his Uncle, the Sovereign Stane. He yearns for a life beyond the palace walls but when the Nomad breaks into his rooms with blade held at the ready, Antony thinks all is lost--and then the assassin hesitates.Steven and Antony are two souls together in the moonlight, two lives on the cusp of ruin and as the sun rises over the palace, perhaps they will be two kindred spirits, finding freedom in each other's arms.

take my heart clean apart by mistymountainking: Tony comes home exhausted after an SI event. Steve acts as welcoming committee. It's an old, careworn routine they've perfected over the years, but tonight ends up going in a very different direction.

Dear Mr. Fantasy by @pineapplebread: Tony writes letters to his past loves to get over them. They’re all but meaningless by this point, but he keeps them hidden anyways, never to be seen or read by anyone else. Until one day they all mysteriously get sent out.His deepest secrets are revealed and he scrambles to do damage control, striking a deal to enter a fake relationship with Steve Rogers who just wants his ex back. Tony conveniently forgets to mention that the only love letter he still means is the one he wrote to his fake boyfriend.

slipping through the years by often_adamanta: The plane crash and subsequent ice might have killed him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still around, haunting those he cares about. And since the only person who can see him is Tony Stark, death sure isn’t going to be boring.

Insomnia by Scavenge4Dreams: Its 3am. Do you know where your Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist is?

rough enough for love by silkspectred: The first time they had sex was right after their first kiss. Steve dropped to his knees and then Tony reciprocated after making Steve lie down on the bed. The second time it was Steve that initiated it, slow handjobs under the hot spray of the shower, and Tony looked surprised by it. Like it was weird that Steve wanted it. Wanted him.

I’m a Grown-Ass Man by not_applicable: or, 5 Times Steve Carried Tony and 1 Time Tony Didn't Mind. At all.

Containment by D: After Tony ends up severely injured from a surprise attack, triggering a flashback and putting him in the hospital for emergency surgery, the Avengers come together in worry for their friend and teammate and are disquieted by the intensity of Tony’s reaction. Between the flashback and the sedatives, Tony’s mind revisits key moments in his life while the team bands together in support of each other and their injured friend, letting SHIELD handle Tony’s attacker, they remain where they are needed, even if Tony isn’t awake to truly realize this. And through it all, Steve makes a decision that will change things with Tony.

His Fate Will Be Unlearned by scifigrl47: Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name. Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940's, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he's not sure he's glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He's beginning to suspect that there is no escape. Boston College is on the T's Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

The Twice-Told Tale by arysteia: For someone he'd hero-worshipped for so long, Steve Rogers in the flesh is a pretty big disappointment. For one thing, he keeps looking at Tony as though he reminds him of someone else, and even if he never says anything, Tony's pretty sure it's his father. A lifetime of not measuring up to Howard's expectations is more than enough, thank you very much, and he's certainly not going to make an effort to live up to any of Steve's. Steve's pretty clearly failed to live up to his expectations, in any case, and that's not hypocritical at all.

Like Gene Kelly in the Movies by lyra_wing: Everything Tony Stark does is a dance. And it's super confusing for Steve.

bedrock and brick by lyra_wing: Immediate sequel to the movie, wherein Tony builds Avengers Tower. Or plays interior designer, take your pick.

[luninosity]

Okay, some The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 1 thoughts! This one will be spoilery, so I’ll tag it and put it under a cut and all of that!

Thoughts not in any real order, just as I think of them, the morning after (we stayed up to watch at midnight, and then went to bed!):

-okay, action-y opening, I’m neutral about that

-on va voir! :D :D

-I like seeing Sam struggling with the idea of the shield and his heroic identity and what being Captain America means...would’ve liked to see him try it, once, before giving it up; I feel like he would try, because it’s what Steve asked of him (and there’s a difference between doing it for that reason and doing it because he chooses to, which would’ve been an interesting tension!)

-mmm, gorgeous museum exhibit shots, and such a good backdrop, thematically, for Sam and Rhodey discussing what it means to be Captain America (also: yay Rhodey!)

-spectacular Bucky nightmare scene, recapturing the menace of the Winter Soldier; oh, so many Bucky feels, and, oh, that moment of him waking up, sleeping on his floor...ow, my heart

-on a shallower note, I miss Seb’s longer hair; it was so distinctive as a look, versus all the short-haired clean-cut Marvel Men (but I also get why they’d have short-haired Bucky in this series: distinguishing then and now, visually and symbolically)

-Bucky’s therapist is genuinely terrible (like, wow) and I’m glad he got to call her out on it (also a good nod to the Winter Soldier having some knowledge of psychology/strategy)

-good to see a character (who very much needs it) getting therapy, on screen, though!

-also nice that we’ve established that Bucky’s been officially pardoned; good to know, and he deserves that recognition that he’s not at fault

-what’s with the weird super-close-up shots? Not that Sebastian isn’t pretty, but the camera’s basically sitting on his cheek. I’m not exactly complaining but it’s distracting me from the storytelling, mostly because I’m wondering who thought this was a good stylistic choice. Those’re some lovely Seb eyelashes, but, like...pull back. Pull that camera back. Back up. Space, please.

-ooh, competence porn! Yes please. (This goes for both Sam and Bucky.)

-Torres might be my new favorite. He’s adorable. Which means I fully expect something terrible to happen to him any second now.

-both Seb and Anthony are such good actors - they’re both so good at micro-expressions, emotion in the shift of eyes or a change in stance

-I love Sam’s sister Sarah!

-more specifically, I love that it’s obviously an affectionate relationship, but not necessarily an easy one, and she has more of an understanding of how the real non-superhero world works than he does, and she’ll tell him so - I’m liking the nuance and emotion here; it feels very real, and it’s not like Melodramatic Resentment for him being busy hero-ing, which they could’ve opted for; no, it’s a genuine sort of weariness and love

-why no video games, for the kids? are they being punished? weird anti-video-game prejudice? (as someone who grew up in a household that didn’t approve of video games, I was at a *distinct disadvantage* when everyone else had this cultural touchstone and I didn’t! and because their mom doesn’t give a reason or a time limit, this blanket ‘no’ line comes off as weirdly restrictive to me - I’d’ve gone with “...until you finish a chore or read a book or do x thing first” - and of course the kids don’t listen, because why would they? idk, probably overthinking this one, but I was also always that kid who needed reasons for things - I never responded well to “because I say so” or “that’s just how it is,” but if you told me why, then I’d totally listen! anyway, this one’s just a weird personal ?? in my head!)

-love love love the bank scene - the sheer awfulness of the juxtaposition of the hero and fanboy emotions, and the harsh reality of loans and denial and Sam’s realization that he can’t help, and also his sister’s body language all through this scene

-I have questions about how the world’s working here: like, I totally believe the banks, government, etc, would be dicks about *not* helping people! yes, agreed! but on the other hand, surely, surely, there must be some provision in place for people who got snapped. Especially now that some time has passed. Like...it’s too big a thing for there to not be some sort of policy or help. The “you’ve had no income for the last five years” line reads oddly to me as justification, because...well...he was snapped! so...of course not! but then again, of course banks would have a lack of compassion. I don’t know, maybe it’s just clunky dialogue, but I kind of want more explanation of this

-also nice that they’re addressing the concept that simply being a superhero doesn’t pay, and not everyone has Tony Stark money! (side question: does Bucky have money? I know we have fandom “canon” about this, but will the show and official canon address it?)

-please don’t let anything happen to Torres, I love him

-Bucky’s trying so hard, and it’s so heartbreaking! And, oh, Bucky...stepping in to defuse problems, wanting peace, trying to care for people...the core of his character, from protecting skinny!Steve to being a good sergeant to saving Steve in The Winter Soldier...okay, show, you’re winning me over. Partly that’s Sebastian’s acting; again, just phenomenal, nuanced and subtle and complex.

-Bucky versus Lucky Cat! I’m laughing but also ouch, the swinging arm reminder.

-I appreciate a Bucky Barnes who is genuinely a soft awkward old-man dork

-I also appreciate Bucky being sweet and old-fashioned and charming - the flowers! - he’s trying so hard. Oh, my heart. (On the other hand...is dating...really a good idea? Then again, he’s a polite awkward dork and couldn’t say no to being set up...)

-how can Sebastian put so much emotion into the simple act of closing and opening his eyes?!

-I do very much want to know where Steve is and if he’s alive

-also, both Sam and Bucky speaking multiple languages! again with the competence porn and also linguistic porn, mmm, yes

-not much known about the Bad Guys yet, but that’s okay; I’m good with spending 50 minutes on character development, yes, fine by me, show me more Bucky caring for people and Sam being Uncle Sam (heh), I live for this

-it’s an interesting choice of Bad Guys, because to some extent you can see why it sounds appealing: no flags, no borders, no countries, etc - I hope we also get some more exploration of this

-I’m glad Torres is okay but I fully expect him to be a sacrifice at some point

-US Agent time! Oh, Sam’s expression(s) - just perfect. Oh, Anthony Mackie’s just great here - every reaction, jaw-clench, his posture - so compelling.

-now go get your shield, Sam!

-how are we going to wrap this all up in 5 more episodes?! Sam and Bucky haven’t even shared screen time yet! and what about Zemo? and Sharon?

-ooh, pretty credits!

-okay, I’m actually really pleasantly surprised! I went in with low expectations because I really disliked all the trailers and all the bits of dialogue they were giving us, and now I’m...cautiously optimistic!

-I’m still worried that once we get Bucky and Sam together we’re going to devolve into that specific “someone thinks that two people insulting each other is the same as humor” type of writing (and I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate the “that girl kicked your ass!” line from the trailers)

-but this first episode is such a good character-driven exploration - unhurried, deep, thoughtful, grounded - that it’s giving me hope. I actively want to see the next episode, with some excitement, so that’s promising!

[percyjacksonfan3]

For the salty asks: numbers one, five, six, and twenty through twenty-three please 😇

I live for the chaos so pls just... go off my dude

Ah Tay, reason #187893467 that I love you is that you indulge me in my rants <3

Salty asks are from this post!

K this got LONG so here's a read more!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Honestly even though I don't multi-ship often I DO usually get the appeal behind ships so this is a really short list. This will probably get me some hate but I still to this day can't get behind c/ex@ from the show that will not be named. But then again I do get the appeal of two super attractive women with chemistry and the whole ruler/ girl who makes the ruler change their ways thing. So I guess I get it even if I don't like it?

Also, and this is not to hate on Hinny, but Harry and Ginny from HP are not my cup of tea. I like what fandom has done for them but the actual content we get for them in the books (and movies, but I prefer the books) isn't enough for me to love them. Same with Mal and Alina from S & B/ Grishaverse, they're so bland to me in the books but the show is doing far better with them and actually making Mal ya know. Likeable. Again, I don't ship it, but best friends to lovers is top tier so I get it.

Oh! I also don't really get Dwalin/Ori from The Hobbit, but that is probably in large part because I'm a Dwalin/Nori shipper. Again though, all of the secondary characters' relationships in The Hobbit rely on fans to extrapolate HARD and wear extreme shipper goggles, and ik there's that scene where Dwalin helps Ori out of the river so like.. maybe that's where it's from? I don't hate it or anything but it's always something that's made me go ??? cause I have no idea where the heck it came from.

Apart from that... I can't think of any rn? I feel like I understand where all the PJO ships come from, even if I don't ship them. There are a couple that I don't understand how they can be someone's OTP, just because I find them super boring (no offense to those who ship C@leo or J@siper but I just don't love how Rick handled those relationships). In TSC I think fandom mainly vibes with the same pairings and that's true for most of my book fandoms. With the shows I watch I don't think fans majorly ship anything too out there for me. Maybe I don't interact enough with fandoms to tell. So this is all I got.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

Oh my god, oh my god, this is a can of worms, my lord. A pairing I'm not so sure about, but characters? Abso-fucking-lutely. I took a break from PJO fandom for exactly that reason and the list of characters is endless honestly, for multiple fandoms.

I won't say fandom ruined Bell@rke for me cause I still ship it, but I definitely lost enthusiasm with how toxic the shows fandom was and then that was made even worse when the show completely destroyed itself with the worst writing and plots ever in the latter seasons.

Also I have a feeling that G@me of Thrones/ @soiaf ruined one for me but I can't remember this very second. Maybe not, and again that's probably cause I don't interact with fandoms en masse, usually just through fic and following a few people I vibe with in each.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

Yes, quite a few! I used to dislike Drarry (for obvious reasons I feel) and Romione (as a kid I wanted Hermione to be with Harry and even when I grew out of that I really didn't like she was with Ron) but fandom changed that for sure. And same with Darklina now, I was upset cause I felt like the books really underutilized their relationship and fell short of what could have been a super awesome pairing if better explored, but the show fandom is taking it in so many different ways that I'm starting to really love them despite the reasons I shouldn't.

And I won't say I hated Hayffie in THG, but definitely the only reason I ship them is from reading @ellanainthetardis's fic Have a Drink Sweetheart and then all the others written for them. That portrayal of Hayffie and the characters have become my own headcanons now because I've been reading them for so long and they're so good.

Fandom made me ship Leon and Morgana from Merlin too, though that's very lowkey. I never hated them, I just never thought of them as a pairing until reading fic.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Percabeth. I don't care which fandom, it's Percabeth. Growing up together, going from enemies to friends to best friends to lovers? The establishment of them being best friends and the way Rick wrote that friendship was so pure, and they are a couple with no internal problems, all external, and you just know they're gonna be together through everything, fighting at each other's side, cause that's the way they are. There's a reason they're my OTP and it's cause they are the most well-established, ride or die couple I can think of. They're just so solid.

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

Love em for fandom but personally I very rarely get behind crackships just because I usually need a lot of build up, scenes, good dialogue and chemistry, etc. to ship something, so most of my ships aren't crack ships. The only one I can really think of that I actively root for and ship and would read fic for is Billy/ Owen from 911 Lonestar which is just... something.

Like idk if Barduil from The Hobbit is crack because ik it's quite popular... what makes a ship a crack ship anyway? Lack of canon reference? Is it cause they two characters would be so random together because they barely ever interact? Or because it's SO unrealistic you know for sure it will never happen but want it to anyway? Or is it lack of popularity in fandom? I need someone to define this so I have a better answer :D if it's the second option then I have MANY

I love seeing fandom stuff for crack ships though, cause seriously, it's fiction, ship who you want. If you ship two characters just cause you think they're pretty side by side then that's enough for me. Make all of the fan art and fic you like.

22. Popular character you hate?

Oof. Jason from HOO. And Leo in everything after The Lost Hero. I hated Piper in The Lost Hero and Mark of Athena but like her after those. I don't like any of the book characters from S & B except Nikolai, but I like everyone in the show (except David? Why did they make him so weird? Like he's not even awkward, he's straight up rude imo, but anyway). In @soiaf I don't like Jon Snow, I think he's boring. And I despise Jorah Mormont cause I think he's creepy for having a crush on Dany.

Didn't love Stefan in TVD, too much of a goody-two-shoes. I liked dark Stefan but it felt like a totally different character. Honestly most of the characters I don't like cause they're boring or too by-the-book.

OH! A big one in M@rvel is Captain America. Can't stand him honestly, I like him as a character to have in the story, but I like never agree with him on anything. I like a couple of his one-liners but that's it really. I also don't like Gale in THG, idk if that's controversial. Or Lex@ from the show that will not be named because I think she's manipulative and not good for any of the characters i DO love.

Is Ron popular? I think so. I like fandom Ron but not canon Ron and idk why. I think I'm growing out of it but I read those books when I was like 7 initially so I thought it was awful of Ron to stop being friends with Harry because he was jealous and I never really got over that.

There are so many but I'm gonna stop now.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Again, tons. I love anyone whose got kind of a tortured backstory because it makes them more interesting to me.

I love Movieverse Hawkeye! I think Clint is great and while I wish his deafness was canon in Marvel and I don't love J Remmer, I do love Hawkeye a lot. He was honestly one of the only Marvel characters that felt consistent and in-character throughout the movies.

I like President Snow from THG just cause I think he was a fantastic villain. And Effie and Haymitch aren't unpopular, but they're probably my favourites, again because of the fics mentioned above.

Leon from Merlin!! I don't actually think he's unpopular, but he's like... my fourth favourite character in the show which I know IS considered high for most people.

Sandor Clegane from ASOIAF. Not the show, just the books. His book character is phenomenal and I am so excited for GrrM to finish the goddamn series so I know what happens to him.

The Stolls and Katie Gardner from PJO cause fandom created Tratie and sucked me in at a young age.

Bellatrix Lestrange? Is she unpopular? I don't think so but she's another one I think is a fantastic villain. I'm almost more interested in her than Voldemort tbh.

That's probably it!

Thanks so much for the ask Tay, this was tons of fun! Anyone else who's interested can feel free to fill my inbox!

[dontshootmespence]

Through It All

Part 26

Summary: Now married, Spencer & Y/N navigate the D/s lifestyle. How will their relationship change?

Words: 1,083

Warnings: None

A/N: Fluffffff

Now she wants all the control. It feels like you and Spencer are doing twice the laundry because she wants to feed herself, but she’s a total mess. At first, the mess bothered Spencer - he likes his things neat and tidy and in the right place - but eventually he just let it go and even started joining in messy eating just for the fun of it.

Charlotte even wants to pick her own clothes and help herself get dressed, which is difficult when you’re in a rush and just need her to put her legs in the leg holes and fucking move, but you let her do as much as she can anyway. You want to foster an independent little girl who’ll ask for help when she needs it. Thankfully, today is a slow day. It’s a Saturday and your only plans are to go get her some new clothes because she’s growing out of her 18-month clothes already.

When Spencer brings her outside, you hide your laugh. She’s chosen a pair of bright blue sweatpants and an orange shirt with pink shoes and a purple hat. “Ready to go, Charlie?”

You and Spencer gulp down the rest of your morning coffees, which are now cold and grab a banana for the trip to the store. “You want one?” Spencer asks her.

“Nanner!”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughs, scooping her into his arms. “Away we go!”

----

In the store, Charlotte  takes the lead, bringing you in all different directions. Sometimes it’s toys. Sometimes it’s bikes. Sometimes it’s food. Eventually, after saying hello to everyone she passes with a tiny little wave, you find yourselves in the clothing sections. First, she drifts toward the ‘boys’ section and grabs a shirt with Mario and Yoshi on it because ‘dino,’ before quickly grabbing a shirt with Captain America’s shield on it, probably because she recognizes the one you wear at home.

After sauntering through the boys’ section and trying (with varying degrees of success) to instill in her that she couldn’t buy everything in the store, Spencer runs with her to the girls’ section, careening the shopping cart in and out of aisles like a madman. But she’s loving it, so you just shout at them to be careful, stopping long the way to get her a new pair of sneakers and a pair of slippers that look a lot like Spencer’s that she loves to try and steal.

When you finally catch up, you see Spencer holding up two different dresses, telling her to pick one. “I figure every two things she picks up she can choose one.”

“Sounds good,” you reply. “Probably more comprehensible for a 20-month-old to choose between two things rather than ‘you can’t have everything.’”

“Exactly.”

With Spencer’s method, she makes a few choices of her own - a rainbow pastel dress, light green sweatpants, a pink sweatshirt and a sparkly green dress with Ariel on it - and then chooses between some outfits that you and Spencer pick out. You make it a game to see which one of you can put together the best outfit, best in this case meaning Charlotte picks it over the other. Spencer wins twice and you win once. Then Spencer sticks his tongue out.

“Is she the 20-month-old or are you?” You laugh.

He sing-songs that he won as he carts her out of the aisle and toward the food section for the few staples you need to pick up. Charlotte asks for Daddy to ‘race’ again, and Spencer’s more than happy to oblige, using a few empty aisles to just run the cart in circles for a few minutes while you answer your phone.

Minnie’s warm voice floats over you. “Hello, dear. How are you and Spencer doing?”

“We’re doing okay. Just taking Charlotte for some new clothes.”

“Well, I have some news for you. You’ve been chosen again.”

“Really?” Your hearts races a mile a minute as you flag Spencer down and beckon him to come over. “Who is she? How far along is she?”

Spencer’s mouth drops open, his breath hitching in his throat. You’re both afraid of getting your hopes up again, but you also can’t help the excitement. Charlotte’s too busy with a sparkly heart wand she found to care, plus you and Spencer made an agreement not to say anything until you were reasonably sure your birth mother was in this for the long haul.

“Well, she’s 19. She and her boyfriend are both in agreement on this and they both love your profile. They’re on their way to prestigious universities and they don’t think they can be great parents and great students at the same time. You and Spencer could meet them both. She’s been with us since she found out at just five weeks. She’s 10 weeks along now. But there’s a catch.” Her voice trails off and your heart sinks and rises in quick succession. You can hear her smile.

“What’s the catch?” You ask.

Spencer quirks an eyebrow and he’s white-knuckling the handle of the shopping cart.

“She’s having twins. And she insists they be adopted together.”

“Twins?!”

The mixture of excitement and undeniable fear makes you want to vomit. Two at once? “Now, I know this is a big commitment. Two at once is no joke, but I wanted to let you know so that you and Spencer could talk it over. Do you think it’s something you’re interested in?”

You spoke softly, trying to still the quiver in your voice. “I think so. Spence and I need to talk things over. We can call you back in a couple of days?”

“Absolutely. If you have any questions let me know.”

A quick goodbye and she disconnects the call, leaving you to stare in amazement at your husband. “Twins. Spence, two of them? Can we do that?”

“Why not?” His smile is a mile wide. As he tousles Charlotte’s hair, tears well in his eyes. “I mean there would be an increased financial burden, but I think we could handle it, especially with the flexibility in my work schedule. I could add online classes too. I’m sure your parents could help us those first few months. And I know Penelope and Luke, Emily, JJ and Will, they’d all help us with babysitting.”

“Are we gonna have twins?” You ask, a sob bubbling up from your toes.

Spencer pulls you close and kisses the top of your head. “I think we’re having twins.”

@heycasbutt @ultrarebelheart @katherineisagubler @proud-slytherin-ghost @randomwriter23 @fandom-queen67 @sixx-sic-sixx @xqueenofthecraziesx @aofay02 @groovyreid @criesinreid @jdougl-love @xreider @cringeemospntrashassbutt @prettyboyeffect @prettyboyreid @themanip @spencerreidsthings @augustgraceful @whollytaciturn @prisonreid @factualfic @jasmine-negron @snitchthewitch @ellabobella051419 @crazyforsstuff @kaatelyyynn​ @jane-dough @dreatine @bitter-post-millennial @adlerorzel-blog @hallieedrew @psychedelephantt @krisymccall996 @4ueijos @mclaujac @ray-likes-starwars @nurseemilyblog @slightlyvicked @she4567 @guesswhosback129 @princessdolan @happycreatorfangirl @fallwhisper @nyemadowell @sammy-jo1977 @sin-bin-and-tragedies @imsuperawkward @ahhahahaheehee @crispygiantsaladgarden @reputay-swift @pizzarollsfordayz @andiebeaword @timey-wimey-lovi @garbagecanfics @friedparadisetale @dereksbetaa @idontevenknow2 @holyfishloverfarm @nohemi2500 @typeshitbih @sadgirlhan @kmc217 @bigbuttsowhatuniverse @charmedfandomgal @im--blushing @dangerouspersonllamabagel @fichoe21 @yes-sir-hotchner @thefandomallrounder @mrsenos08 @walkerchick007 @letsdisneythings @winchesterqueenie @specialagentleigh @spn-wheresthepie @haileymew @bitchyoulied @geniusgub @urdicksmol @6lack6erry @slutlanna976 @downondilaudid​ @baileysb1tch @la-vie-en-amour1​ @letsdoit-tomorrow @eideticprettyboydrreid​ @lazynoodledragon​ @shybaby231 @aimzonicles97​ @grace-superpowers​ @softestlavender​ @ssa-dr-ladylock​ @drprettyboy​ @patricks-fabulous-face​ @tearosaria​ @shxdowofdarkness​ @marvels-gurl​ @gublergirls​

[purplehairedwonder]

Hearts With(out) Chains Chapter 8

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen (eventual Lawlu) Words: 3629 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Monkey D. Luffy, Nico Robin, Usopp, Sanji, Vergo Note: I’m taking my turn at the Corazon!Law AU because my brain won’t leave me alone until this is written down. Tags will be updated as the chapters come out.

The story title is based on the Ellie Goulding song “Hearts Without Chains.”

Summary: Law is reclaimed by the Family when he's 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he's repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

Previous chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

Robin watched as Luffy came out of the infirmary, a smile on his face as he shut the door behind him. She’d left an ear on the desk, disguised by her book, and she had to admit she was surprised by the conversation—especially that Luffy had gotten their guest (prisoner, despite what Luffy wanted) to volunteer his name. During her time with the Revolutionary Army, she’d known of many attempts by the Revolutionaries and others to learn Corazon’s real name. She filed the name Trafalgar Law away to look into later while once more marveling at her captain’s ability to read—and reach—people.

She rose from her seat and walked over to Luffy, who’d been intercepted by Usopp just outside the door.

“So, what happened?” Usopp was asking, glancing between Luffy and the closed door.

“We talked,” Luffy said, entwining his fingers behind his head. “Torao’s a good guy!”

Usopp frowned. “Torao?”

“Shishishi,” Luffy chuckled. “His name!”

Bemused, Usopp glanced at Robin, who smiled. “I believe our captain convinced Corazon to reveal his real name.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because I asked,” Luffy replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Perhaps it was to him. Usopp sputtered, and Robin patted his shoulder.

“Usopp’s right, though.” They looked up to see Sanji emerge from the kitchen. He was still moving carefully, but he looked much better than when they’d first arrived outside the lab. “Names have power, and that guy’s been going by an alias for years. Why share something so dangerous with his enemies?”

There were a number of potential answers to that question, but Robin had a feeling it was the Luffy Effect in action.

“We’re not enemies,” Luffy said, crossing his arms and frowning.

“He tried to kill us!” Usopp protested.

“He electrocuted me,” Sanji added, lighting a cigarette.

“And we have him locked up in Seastone,” Robin felt obliged to point out.

But Luffy shook his head. “Jimbei made it sound like he took a big risk helping us at Marineford. He said that Mingo guy would be angry, but he did it anyway.”

Robin knew the rumors about Doflamingo’s abilities, his crew, and his underground operations. His cruelty and brutality. Doflamingo saw his crew as a family, with his executives being his most trusted. And he did not stand for disloyalty in his Family. She could only imagine how he might have reacted to his second-in-command helping rival pirates.

“Luffy,” she said gently, waiting for her captain’s eyes to find her, “Corazon was already infamous when we met him on Sabaody. But over the last two years, his reputation has only gotten darker. They call him the Surgeon of Death.”

She had a feeling this wouldn’t dissuade him—little tended to once Luffy had made his mind up about something or someone—but she wanted to make sure he knew anyway.

As expected, Luffy shook his head again while Usopp spluttered in the background. “He saved me.”

There had been endless speculation over the last two years about why Corazon had saved Luffy and Jimbei, ranging from an attempted coup within the Family to a secret love affair (Robin had laughed aloud when this had been floated).

As she’d sat in the infirmary waiting for Corazon to regain consciousness, she found herself watching him. From what she could work out about him, he was a few years younger than her yet had risen to the rank of second in command of the Donquixote Pirates more than half a decade earlier; how young had he been when he had joined such an infamous pirate group to rise so high at such a young age? She knew a thing or two about joining criminal organizations and the way they took advantage of children.

Corazon’s defensiveness upon waking up had been unsurprising, and she again found herself wondering why he had saved Luffy—but then she’d seen the way he’d frozen when Luffy had entered the room, the breath catching in his throat and something in his expression. And he’d given Luffy his real name.

“Luffy,” Usopp said, pulling Robin from her thoughts, “the guy he works for owns this lab where they are experimenting on kids. He’s trying to protect that.”

Luffy huffed. “I don’t know how to explain it. I can just feel it,” he said, a hand going to his chest where the scar—from Corazon’s life-saving operation—was hidden under his winter coat. “I can feel that he’s a good person. He helped me, and I think maybe I’m supposed to help him.”

Robin exchanged glances with Sanji and Usopp. They all knew Luffy’s senses when it came to people were beyond rational explanation but somehow right. Robin in particular knew the power of Luffy’s intuition, having been saved from her own darkness because he wouldn’t let her go. If that intuition was telling him that Corazon—Trafalgar Law—was similarly important and worth helping, then there wasn’t much more to argue.

That was the Luffy Effect.

“Okay,” Robin said.

Sanji and Usopp took a moment longer but also nodded grudgingly. They might not understand it, but they’d trust their captain. (But, if need be, they’d protect him, too.)

-----

Once the door shut behind Straw Hat, Law dropped his head back against the wall and shut his eyes, suddenly exhausted. His head throbbed from the hit from Zoro’s blade, and he considered getting up to look for some painkillers in the infirmary supplies but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Outside the door, he could hear the Straw Hats talking, though he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

As he sat there, he couldn’t stop Straw Hat’s words from playing over and over in his mind.

“Jimbei said that you’d be in trouble with that Mingo guy for helping us, and I was worried. Were you? In trouble?”

“I fail to see how that matters.”

“But you helped me anyway. And I’m grateful! So, you’re a good guy. No matter what anyone says.”

“No, I’m really not. You should listen to Nico-ya.”

“Nope, I can feel it. Right here.”

Law had no illusions about what kind of person he was. He’d joined the Donquixote Pirates as a terminally ill ten-year-old, determined to do as much damage as he could before he died, and in many ways, he’d never outgrown that broken boy with bombs on his chest. He was the second in command to one of the biggest names in the slave trade, among other morally reprehensible operations. And though he was a doctor, he’d killed more than he’d saved, the letters tattooed on his fingers a promise as much as a warning.

Perhaps worst of all, though, he’d stopped feeling anything when he killed.

He shuddered to think what Cora-san would think of the man he’d become.

And yet, Straw Hat looked at him and—impossibly—saw something worthwhile. Felt that Law was something worthwhile. Felt it in the same place Law had felt the tug that pulled him to Marineford two years earlier.

What did it mean?

What did Law do with that?

The Seastone cuffs weighed heavily on his wrists, clanking as he opened his eyes and rubbed his face through his hands. He stared up at the ceiling, the words of his nakama from before his departure ringing through his head in the wake of Straw Hat’s declaration:

“I know you spooked when I lost my arm. But it’s not your fault.”

“You’re not this person you’ve let yourself become. They might think of you as Corazon, but to us, you’re Captain.”

Two years of pushing his crew away to protect them, of doing nothing to earn their trust or affection, yet they refused to give up on him. Like Straw Hat, they looked at him and saw something worthwhile. But how could Law accept that from them after what he’d cost them?

Despite what Violet said, Law knew he was, inside and out, Doflamingo’s creature. He knew what he saw when he looked in the mirror, the marks of claiming left on his skin and the emptiness in his eyes. After what he’d lost, Law was too tired to fight it any longer.

So why did people keep looking at him like he was anything but Doflamingo’s broken doll?

Law was startled from his reverie by a loud thud from the deck of the ship. He straightened as he heard the tone of the Straw Hats’ voices change in response to whatever had happened. Punk Hazard was unfriendly territory for them and full of more hazards than they could have known about when they anchored on the island. And most things unfriendly to the Straw Hats should be friendly to Law as Joker’s second.

Law rose and made his way to the door in an attempt to hear more clearly. He was wondering at the odds of using this distraction to search for the key to his cuffs when a familiar voice responded to the Straw Hats’ demands of who he was. Law’s stomach dropped.

“—ase commander of G-5,” Vergo was saying as Law pulled open the infirmary door.

The Straw Hats looked back at him, surprised, but Law ignored them, his eyes focused on Vergo. Vergo inclined his head when Law appeared, which was not a good sign.

“Torao, you should—”

“What are you doing here, Vergo?” Law demanded over Straw Hat.

“You two know each other?” Long Nose asked, glancing between them nervously.

“Your ally?” Black Leg asked, stance turning defensive. “But he’s a Marine.”

There was no way Vergo was here to help Law. But why had he come? Doffy hadn’t wanted him to blow his cover; that the entire reason for sending Law to Punk Hazard in the first place.

“It seems Joker was right to send me to check on your allegiance, Corazon,” Vergo said, lips twisting mockingly around the title he’d once worn himself. “I’ve been warning him for years that you were disloyal, and now I find you defecting.”

Law’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his shackled wrists. “Does this look like defecting, Vergo?” he hissed. Not that it would make a difference; Law was certain Vergo didn’t actually think he had defected. “I’m a prisoner.”

Vergo smirked. “No matter. All Joker needs to know is that I found his favorite plaything standing with the very crew whose captain he betrayed Joker to save two years ago.” His expression darkened. “And don’t forget the -san, boy.”

Law flinched at being called a plaything.

“What’s going on?” Straw Hat asked, frowning between the two. Law ignored him.

“What do you think Joker will do to your crew when he hears you betrayed him again?” Vergo went on.

Law felt the color drain from his face. “You son of a bitch.”

Straw Hat turned to look directly at Law, his expression turning concerned when he saw that Law had gone pale. “Torao—”

Turning his back on Vergo was a mistake. Law’s eyes widened as Vergo drew his bamboo stick, and, as he surged forward, coated it with haki. He swung at Straw Hat’s exposed back. Straw Hat sensed him coming, but Vergo’s speed took him off-guard; Vergo swung his bamboo, and Straw Hat tried to dodge but took enough of a blow to his side that it knocked him off-balance. He yelped in surprise as Vergo swung again, sending him over the ship’s railing into the water below.

Law inhaled sharply as Long Nose and Black Leg both cursed. Long Nose turned to Black Leg.

“Stay with Robin,” he said before taking a running leap and jumping overboard after his sinking captain.

Without missing a beat, Black Leg and Nico Robin took defensive postures in front of Law. Law looked at their backs in disbelief. Why? Why would they help him?

“I have no quarrel with you,” Vergo said to them. “Step aside. This is Family business.”

Black Leg snorted in disbelief, and Nico Robin smiled in that knowing way of hers. “Donquixote Doflamingo wouldn’t want it known he has a spy so high up in the Marines. You won’t let us go.”

Vergo straightened his glasses. “You caught me. But if you step aside, I’ll make your deaths quick.”

“I don’t think so,” Black Leg replied.

Vergo frowned, clearly as confused as Law himself. “Why would you protect him? He tried to kill you.”

So Vergo saw the fight. He must have followed Law from Dressrosa, leaving right behind him. That bastard was just looking for an excuse to cut Law down and finish what he’d started on Minion Island. Had Doffy told him to come, or was Vergo acting on his own?

“Our idiot captain seems to like him,” Black Leg replied with a shrug.

Law started as Nico Robin gave him a small smile before turning back to Vergo. “And Luffy is a very good judge of character. Even if we don’t understand his reasons at first.”

Law’s breath caught in his throat.

Vergo hefted his bamboo. “So be it.”

He charged once more, swinging his bamboo at Nico Robin. Black Leg intercepted the blow with his leg. Vergo fell back and Black Leg charged in a flurry of kicks. Vergo met him blow for blow until the two stopped in the middle of the deck, legs locked. Law winced at the sound of cracking bone. Black Leg slumped, and Law momentarily regretted hitting him with Counter Shock earlier.

“Sanji-kun!” Nico Robin called, worried.

“Where’s the key to these cuffs?” Law demanded urgently as Vergo turned back toward them. He did not want to be defenseless again with Vergo bearing down on him. And he was not going to let Vergo kill Nico Robin for protecting him. Too many people had been hurt or killed protecting Law, and he didn’t deserve any of it.

“Usopp has it,” she said, glancing toward the railing.

“Great,” Law muttered.

As Vergo approached, Nico Robin summoned giant hands, creating a wall between them and Vergo. Law knew it wouldn’t hold against Vergo’s Demon Bamboo. She winced as Vergo slammed against it, the structure shaking under his strength.

“Take Black Leg-ya and get out of here,” Law told her. Hopefully, Long Nose had rescued Straw Hat by now, and they could recover on shore. Vergo would let her go, at least temporarily; he was here because of Law, after all.

She looked at him, startled. “And leave you? You’re powerless.”

“You have no reason to protect me, Nico-ya. I tried to kill your friends. I wouldn’t have stopped, either.” She winced again as the wall trembled against Vergo’s onslaught. “We may both work for Doflamingo, but Vergo wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if given the chance. And now he has the chance.” He shook his head. “Get out of here and regroup with your crew. This is Family business.”

Nico Robin opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by bamboo tearing through her wall. She cried out as the wall collapsed. Vergo met Law’s eye and smirked. Law gasped in pain and surprise as, in a flash, bamboo met his side and sent him flying into the ship’s railing. Slowly, he pushed himself upright and blinked against his spinning vision in time to see Vergo grab Nico Robin by the neck.

“Demon Child Nico Robin,” he said. “I should kill you, but I have a feeling Joker could make good use of you.”

“No thanks,” she choked out between gasps. “I have a crew.”

Vergo simply laughed—a sound that made Law’s skin crawl—and flung her across the deck. She slammed into Black Leg, who was struggling to balance with a fractured leg, and the pair were knocked into the far wall.

Law pushed himself to his feet. Vergo turned to look at him, the malice radiating from him palpable on the winter air. If Law had access to his powers, he would have no problem taking Vergo on. But with the Seastone shackles blocking him from his Fruit and draining his strength, he was as helpless in the face of Vergo’s rage now as he had been as a sick child—and they both knew it.

Vergo moved and suddenly Law’s back slammed into the wall, a haki-clad hand around his throat. Law’s feet dangled off the ground as he struggled to breathe. He grasped at Vergo’s wrist, struggling vainly to loosen the grip stealing his air.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Law.”

“Beating a terminally-ill child nearly to death wasn’t enough for you?” Law wheezed. It somehow seemed fitting that Vergo would finish the job he’d started on a winter island on the winter side of Punk Hazard. There was a feeling of things coming full circle as the snow fell around them.

“Once a traitor, always a traitor,” Vergo growled. “You’ve never been good enough for Doffy. Yet he brings you back and elevates you to his right hand.”

As darkness encroached on the edges of Law’s vision, it hit him that Vergo wasn’t simply holding a grudge about Cora-san’s betrayal. Since Law’s return to the Family nearly a decade earlier, Doffy had kept Law close, giving him no opportunities for betrayal. Holding Law’s crew hostage, he’d groomed Law—teaching him, training him, even fucking him. He did everything to make sure his ownership of Law was complete. Law had hated every moment of it—the only freedom he’d found was leaving Dressrosa on the Polar Tang with his crew on missions—but Vergo was jealous.

Law croaked out a disbelieving laugh at the realization.

Vergo frowned. “What’s so funny?”

“I didn’t take you for the jealous type, Vergo.”

Vergo snarled wordlessly and tightened his grip. Law gasped, feeling what little strength he had leaving him. His lungs screamed, he was light-headed, and his eyes started to close.

Would it really be so bad if Vergo killed him now? It would end nearly a decade of hell, the daily physical and emotional torture that had beaten him down to the point of pushing his nakama away…

Law’s eyes flew open at the thought of his nakama. He couldn’t die and leave them alone to face Doffy’s retribution. He couldn’t die without them knowing how much they meant to him, that even if he’d been a poor excuse for a captain, there was no greater honor than leading them.

A sudden fire burning in his chest, Law’s gaze sharpened, and he dropped his hands from Vergo’s wrist. Vergo looked at him in confusion—clearly, he’d thought Law had been about to succumb—and Law took his moment of distraction to loop the Seastone shackles over Vergo’s neck and cross his arms to tighten them with his waning strength. Vergo didn’t have a Devil Fruit so the Seastone wouldn’t affect him, but he would feel the bite of metal into his skin.

In his current position, Law didn’t have enough strength to truly strangle Vergo, but the move was enough to startle Vergo and cause pain. Reflexively, he loosened his grip, and Law gulped in the delicious, frigid air. Letting go of Law’s neck, Vergo grabbed Law’s arms.

“Let go,” he growled.

“You can’t kill me, Vergo,” Law rasped.

Vergo regarded him through those sunglasses. “Why not?” He only had to strain a bit to speak against Law’s attempted strangulation.

“Doffy has plans for my death, and we both know it.”

The surprise was evident on Vergo’s features. “How did you know—”

Law scoffed. “You don’t think I know why they call the Ope Ope no Mi the ultimate Devil Fruit? Kill me now and Doffy will have to look for the Fruit all over again if he wants that operation.”

Law never intended to go through with the operation, but it was leverage Vergo couldn’t ignore.

“Doffy always says you’re too clever for your own good,” Vergo said, lips curling in distaste. But Law knew he had the other man; Vergo was completely devoted to Doffy, and he wouldn’t do anything to risk his master’s chance of receiving immortality.

In one sudden motion, Vergo let go of Law’s arms and grabbed the chain wrapped around his neck. He pulled it free and held the chain above his head, leaving Law dangling in midair by the wrists. Law hissed in surprise.

“Now what, Vergo-san?” Law asked, sneering the oft-demanded honorific.

“I take you back to Dressrosa, a fallen traitor,” Vergo taunted. “Doffy will finally see you for what you are—nothing better than his miserable excuse for a brother. You can watch Doffy slowly destroy your crew one by one. Maybe he’ll even make you kill some of them.” He sounded amused at the prospect. “And then he’ll make you beg to perform the Perennial Youth operation—and only then will you die, doing one useful thing in your miserable life.”

Chest clenching, Law thought of his crew. Of kind Bepo. Of goofy Shachi. Of brave Penguin. Penguin’s words came back then, sharp and pointed.

“You want to pull that, maybe you should start acting like a captain again.”

No. I won’t let that happen. He was done failing them as their captain.

His eyes flew open as Vergo’s haki-coated fist connected with his stomach. The breath left his lungs—again—and he would have curled in on himself if he wasn’t hanging in midair. Vergo let go of the chain and Law dropped to the grass of the Thousand Sunny’s deck. He looked up in time to see Vergo’s bamboo coming right for his head.

“Torao!” he heard in the distance.

Then nothing.

Next chapter

[wanderingthroughwonder]

Miranda’s Fic Recs

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while because I just have a lot of fics in different fandoms that I truly enjoy. These are mostly long fics because that’s what I read the most. Fandoms included: Teen Wolf, Harry Potter, MCU, Star Trek, Kingsman, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Find them below! (Some fanfic spoilers ahead)

So I’m starting with completed fics and then I have a few not completed fics at the end that I’m just really liking.

Embers by Vathara

Rating: Not Rated, Word Count: 704,200 Fandom: A:TLA

Dragon’s fire is not so easily extinguished; when Zuko rediscovers a lost firebending technique, shifting flames can shift the world....

This is an Avatar: The Last Airbender rewrite. It’s Zuko centric and it splits off while Zuko and Uncle Iroh are on the run and Zuko learns of healing firebending. The world building is so good and interesting and the whole fic does a great job of reimagining the A:TLA world. You meet a lot of new characters that are super well written and fit the world nicely.

The Debt of Time by ShayaLonnie

Rating: E, Word Count: 715,940, Fandom: Harry Potter, Ship: Hermione/Sirius

When Hermione finds a way to bring Sirius back from the veil, her actions change the rest of the war. Little does she know her spell restoring him to life provokes magic she doesn’t understand and sets her on a path that ends with a Time-Turner.

This fic is so good and I’ve reread it before. I love Hermione centric fics and this is definitely one. When she goes back in time she goes through school again with the Marauders and it’s so good you guys. I think the fic does such a good job of showing her grow with these new people. The relationships in this fic are so intense and I love them.

Hook, Yarn, Sinker by pprfaith

Rating: Not Rated, Word Count: 65,675, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Peter

Stiles is happy with his store, his hobbies, his friends. Peter’s just trying to figure out how to raise his nieces and nephews without fucking them up too badly.

Paths cross.

This is the first in a series of fics. It’s a Human AU with aged up Stiles and friends but with little kids Derek, Laura, and Cora. This fic is a good time and sweet and honestly low stakes which is so nice to have these days. I think a lot of Steter fics are more intense and I enjoy them but this is such a nice change of pace where you really get to know the characters in these fairly different circumstances. The whole series word count is 161,859.

A Sequence That You Never Learned by AnnaTaylor

Rating: E, Word Count: 64,624, Fandom: Star Trek: AOS, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock 

“Spock,” Jim breathes out, completely overwhelmed by the gesture—not quite believing that Spock knows him so well, that he’s already started researching, that he trusts Jim with a member of his own endangered species.

When Jim gets it in his head to adopt an eight-year-old Vulcan, Spock presents a logical solution to the issue of Jim’s of humanity: marriage to a Vulcan citizen.

This was one of my first Spirk fics and I honestly love kid fics. Vulcan kids are so different from Jim, but I love the idea that Vulcans still love him anyway. This is such a great Fake Marriage fic.

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by mia6363

Rating: E, Word Count: 13,232, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles centric but technically Stiles/Peter 

Commander Stilinski looks like he fell out of a propaganda video, his armor still smoking as he pulled off his helmet and handed it off to First Officer Argent. He had a few bruises down his neck but his smile was bright.

“Glad to see you safe and sound, Mr. Hale. I’d hate for Derek to lose a member of his family.”

“I told you,” Derek snapped at his superior, “he’s not worth this, Commander.”

This is the shortest fic on my list but I love this take. It’s got a Star Trek vibe and I LOVE how everyone is made into these different aliens. Stiles being human here is so interesting and it reminds me of those “humans are the craziest of the aliens” posts. It’s got multiple POVs and I think they’re written really well and do a great job of coming together.

Where Thou Art, That is Home by ShanaStoryteller 

Rating: Various, Word Count: 94,108, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek 

Stiles is 10 when he saves the Hales from their burning home and Derek from a wolfsbane bullet, and this establishes a pattern that seems to continue indefinitely.

“Then he’s facing a burning home, and he wraps the hood of his sweatshirt around his mouth before he pushes the door open and steps inside. There’s Mr. Hale asleep - he hope asleep - on the couch, next to - Stiles thinks that’s his brother but there are so many Hales, who can keep track. He rushes over and starts shaking him, can see the rise and fall of the man’s chest so he knows he’s alive, but he’s not waking up. He shoves away his hood so he can shout, “Mr. Hale! You have to get up, there’s a fire! Mr. Hale, get up!” Nothing, he’s not even twitching, both of them taking in deep even breathes like they’re having the most peaceful of rest, and Stiles is going to cry. “Wake up, wake up, wake up!”

There’s a moment where all Stiles can here is the blood rushing in his ears and not the roar of the flames or the creak of wood, then with a violent, silent pop it’s all back and both men are gasping awake, eyes open and jumping to their feet.”

This is another series! It creates a Hales Survive AU and it’s got BAMF!Stiles. The Hales in this fic are so interesting and it’s an expanded family from what we see in canon. Magic!Stiles is written so well in this fic and things get intense but it’s so good.

Counterpart by sara_holmes

Rating: M, Word Count: 217,400, Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ship: Steve/Tony 

coun•ter•part [koun-ter-pahrt] [noun] 1. a person or thing closely resembling another, especially in function. 2. a copy; duplicate. 3. one of two parts that fit, complete, or complement one another. 

Just because Hydra used the DNA of a Captain America from another dimension to create a lab-grown, six-year-old super-soldier, it doesn't mean that said six-year old super-soldier is biologically Steve's, right? 

(Where Steve wants to ban Clint from bringing things home from alternative dimensions, until he doesn't.)

This is an amazing kid fic. Things are so messed up because of how the kids was raised up to the point they find him.I love Tony so much in this fic but also you sympathize a bit with Steve. The kid whose name I will leave out is my absolute favorite. This is also a series!

Fallout by Whisper91 kingsman

Rating: E, Word Count: 164,971, Fandom: Kingsman, Ship: Eggsy/Harry/Merlin 

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin is a registered Dominant. It's on his driver's licence. It's on his National Insurance card. Hell, it's even on his bloomin' GCSE certificates. And the fact that it's all a load of bollocks is a secret Eggsy had intended to take to his grave. 

Course, he hadn't been expectin' a bloody sub-drop to sweep in and knock him on his arse in the wake of the Valentine Massacre. Turns out grief and adrenaline ain't a good combination.

I really enjoy the dynamics between the three of them. D/s fics are always so amazingly well built and I love fics like this where they’re hiding their dynamic. I think this fic does a great job of going further with the D/S world and giving it more biologically. I just reread this fic recently because I love how it’s done. 

It’s Insanity But... by rosepetals42

Rating: M, Word Count: 71,477, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek 

The doorbell interrupts what had turned out to be quite the epic shoe hunt but, really, he’s grateful for the break. Or at least, he is until he heads down the stairs to grab the door, trips over a stuffed animal of some kind, bashes his head on the wall and barely manages to catch himself from falling down the entire flight of stairs. As with all things, Stiles would like to state, for the record, that this is Scott’s fault. 

Or: Scott and Stiles are raising seven children. Derek is the entertainer they hire for a birthday party (not a clown though, he’s very specific on that fact.)

This fic is such a good time! I love two bro’s raising kids together. It’s a hilarious setup and also just so good for the Stiles and Scott dynamic. Each chapter is like a slice of life. Some chapters are more about the kids and some are about Stiles and Derek. It’s just a fun fic and I love that it’s still got werewolves because I think a lot of fics that focus more on regular stuff go full on human AU. Keeping werewolves is much more fun and it’s so well handled here!

So Wise We Grow by Deastar 

Rating: M, Word Count: 81,248, Fandom: Star Trek, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock 

”Commander Spock, we have located your son,” the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock’s face that he’s never heard of this kid before in his life. “If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week.”

This fic is two long chapters. Again, I love kid fic and this one does such a great job. We’ve got pining and hurt/comfort and all kinds of good feels here. There’s one line about t’hy’la that is just *chefs kiss* so good and hits you hard.

Play It Again by metisket 

Rating: T, Word Count: 63,206, Fandom: Teen Wolf, Ship: Stiles/Derek 

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself. “Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggest bets have been placed.)”

This is fairly Stiles centric. It really looks into the emotions of jumping universes. The alive Hale family is so good and it’s magic!Stiles which is always interesting. What I think makes it extra good is that in a lot of universe jump or time travel fics it’s more about adjusting to how things will be now. But this fic does that while also having the new universe with its own problems. It’s just fun to see Stiles deal with all these things.

Happy Lights by LadyShadowDrake

Rating: E, Word Count: 108,237, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Mixed 

An interdimensional portal opens over New York and drops a tentacled alien in the middle of Central Park. The Avengers are called out to investigate, and hopefully return the visitor home. Steve has been brushing up on his diplomacy, but he never expected to be a liaison to an alien in such an intimate capacity, or that the alien would be so friendly, and the unusual visit turns into the world's best team-building exercise.

This is a series that is so much fun. The alien (aka the colony) is so interesting and sweet in the long run. I love seeing the team grow and as you go through the series you really get to see more of them coming together. This is just a playful fic that you can have a good time reading.

Magpie by waldorph

Rating: E, Word Count: 57,648, Fandom: Star Trek: AOS, Ship: James T. Kirk/Spock

Spock met Jim when he was 7 and Jim was 6. It has since been generally agreed that this was a mistake (or: the one where they grew up together and things are simultaneously better and worse for it).

This is such a deep dive of both Spock and Jim. It’s them growing up together and it splits off some as far as events that happen in canon. It ends before they become Starfleet. I think this fic creates such an interesting bond between Spock and Jim. I also really love where it goes as far as Spock not having grown up alone on Vulcan.

These are the unfinished fics. The first two are in progress and the last one seems to be abandoned.

Survival is a Talent by ShanaStoryteller 

Rating: T, Word Count: 353,015, Fandom: Harry Potter, Ship: Harry/Draco 

In the middle of their second year, Draco and Harry discover they're soulmates and do their best to keep it a secret from everyone. 

Their best isn't perfect. 

~ 

“Are you trying to get killed, Potter?” Malfoy drawls, stalking forward. Quick as a serpent himself, he reaches out and grabs the snake just below the head. It thrashes in his grip, but is no longer able to bite anyone. “This is a poisonous snake, and I doubt anyone brought a bezoar with them.” 

Harry glares. He opens his mouth, and feels the beginning the snake’s language pass his lips, and this isn’t what he wants, what’s the point of insulting Malfoy if he can’t understand him – 

Malfoy’s eyes widen. He slaps his hand over Harry’s mouth, “Potter, what the hell–”

This fic is in progress updated within 2020. It’s a rewrite of the Harry Potter series where Harry and Draco are soulmates. As you can imagine, that changes some things. I love this so much, I’ve read it like 3 or 4 times now. The characterization is amazing and I love the differences we see. Harry is Indian in this fic and the way it ties in is so good. You really get to see the difference in culture as well between muggleborns and blood traitor families and the purebloods.   

You great unfinished symphony (you sent for me) by ketchupcrisp

Rating: E, Word Count: 227,792, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Steve/Tony and also the whole Team 

The last thing Steve Rogers ever expected to see on a Wednesday afternoon was his (their) dead submissive tumbling out of a portal and practically into Phil’s lap, very much alive and frantic about Soul Stones and timelines and some other version of the team.

This is an AU but like literally. Tony comes from the universe we know into a D/S universe. The worldbuilding here - again like I think a lot of D/s fics excel at - is so good. It starts with everything a mess and things are intense. There’s multiple POVs which I think is really helpful in a fic like this where the relationships are so tangled. 

Born From the Earth by venusm 

Rating: E, Word Count: 277,602, Fandom: MCU, Ship: Tony Centric, Steve/Tony 

Tony Stark's born an omega in a world where that means he's supposed to follow certain social rules. He becomes Iron Man anyway: Fuck biology.

If only his biology (and the world) would quit fucking him back.

To start off, some warnings: this fic gets a bit messed up. It’s an Omega verse in the worst possible way at certain points. It’s not a fluffy fic. It also doesn’t get that far into the Stony stuff because it’s unfinished. Honestly I’m worried this writer has died and I’ve gone through the comments and looked for them online to see if they’re out there and just not writing but I haven’t found any proof of that. BUT ANYWAYS. This fic is intense but it’s such an interesting take on Omega fics. It gets pretty dark but that darkness is pre-Steve and I’m hopeful that one day it might get finished so I can see where it was going to go. 

[our-smooty]

Bad Day, Good Boyfriend

Fandom: Gorillaz

Rating: Teen

Relationships: 2doc

Tags: angst, happy ending, request for a friend!!

Summary: 2D noticed something was off when he walked into the living room and saw Murdoc laying on the sofa watching TV. The bassist never watched TV, not on his own at least, and not without a lot of begging from the singer. Only then could he be convinced to sit down and watch a movie, or an episode of 2D’s favourite show so the fact that he was there, splayed out with a bag of chips in hand was odd.

2D noticed something was off when he walked into the living room and saw Murdoc laying on the sofa watching TV. The bassist never watched TV, not on his own at least, and not without a lot of begging from the singer. Only then could he be convinced to sit down and watch a movie, or an episode of 2D’s favourite show so the fact that he was there, splayed out with a bag of chips in hand was odd.

“Hey Muds, what’re you doin’?” Stu asked, lifting Murdoc’s legs so he could sit. Murdoc readjusted to make room, curling his knees further into his chest and not taking his eyes off the TV.

“Watchin’ telly, what’s it look like?” His voice was kind of off too, a little flat maybe. And the lack of playful, slightly insulting nickname was weird as well.

“You never watch telly,” 2D pointed out, taking the remote and turning off the program. Murdoc didn’t object. “What’s wrong Murdoc, you look miserable.”

The bassist stared at the powered-off television, his eyes glassy and his expression slack. “Nothin’s wrong, go bother Noodle.”

“Murdoc…” 2D sighed, taking one of the bassist’s hands in his own. “I’m your boyfriend, I can tell when you’re upset.”

Murdoc kept staring blankly for a few seconds before he flopped over onto his back, throwing an arm over his eyes. “It’s nothin’. Jus’ got a phone call earlier. It’ll be fine.”

There were few people who could make Murdoc fall so deep into a slump from a simple phone call. Stu asked anyway. “Who was it?”

A long silence, then a sigh. “My brother. Lazy sod was lookin’ for money again.”

“Oh, sorry Muds.” He knew how much Murdoc hated dealing with his family, especially when the only reason they called was to ask for money or hurl abuse. He placed a hand on the bassist’s knee, moving slowly as to not surprise the man. “Can I do anythin’ to help? Maybe we could go out and get your mind off it?”

Murdoc shook his head, looking at Stu through his fringe with tired eyes. “I don’t feel like goin’ anywhere D.”

“Oh come’on, wasn’t there a movie you wanted to see playin’ down the road?”

“Yeah, but not today.” Stu watched Murdoc’s face, saw the way he stared at where the singer’s hand lay on his knee. “I just want to lay here and be miserable, alrigh’? Is that fine with you, love?”

A few years ago Stu might have gotten up and left Murdoc alone to stew in his own mind. But not now, not after they’d been making so much progress since Murdoc came back from prison. They were each other's supports now, and 2D knew that right now, Murdoc needed him.

“Nope! Come’on Muds, we’re goin’ out to that movie.” Stu stood up and put his hands on his hips. Again, Murdoc sighed and rolled over, this time facing into the couch.

“I said no!” 2D thought for a few seconds, then grinned.

“I’ll help you sneak a mickey into the theatre ~” he sing-songed. That got the bassist’s attention, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Thought I was supposed to be cutting back?” he answered. 2D knew he was hooked.

“Call it a special treat, love. Will you go?” The singer sealed the deal with the cutest smile he could muster on demand. Murdoc didn’t stand a chance.

“Fine. But I’m not changing out of my trackies.” 2D nodded and kept smiling. Just the fact that Murdoc was willing to try out his idea made him feel dizzy inside.

Within the hour they were in the car and headed off to the movies. 2D was driving while Murdoc slouched grumpily in the passenger seat sipping from a bottle of whiskey. Stu glanced over occasionally, making sure the bassist wasn’t overindulging, though he seemed to be on good behaviour, if not still miserable.

“So what movie did you wanna see?” he asked with the purpose of filling the silence. Murdoc capped the bottle and tossed it into the back seat, taking out his phone and checking the now playing section.

“Most of the stuff comin’ out is shit, but there’s a new Marvel movie out that looked not terrible,” he answered. Stu laughed quietly.

“You jus’ wanna see it because you think Robert Downey Jr. is hot.” Murdoc laughed as well and it sounded almost genuine. 2D counted it as a win.

“So? I know you have a crush on that Captain America guy, so don’t even start with me you cheeky sod,” Murdoc snapped back, no real venom in his voice. Stu’s face heated up in embarrassment as he switched lanes, turning into the cinema.

“We’re here, so shut your gob and get out of the car,” 2D said, getting out himself. He noticed Murdoc left the mickie in the back seat; it may have been small but it was progress for sure.

Stu grabbed the snacks while Murdoc got the tickets. He made sure to get all the bassist’s favourites; Raisinettes, licorice, and popcorn. He balanced the huge bag of popcorn on one had and their drinks in the other, walking slowly to avoid spilling. When Murdoc came over with the tickets he rolled his eyes and took the snacks.

“You could have waited for me,” he said as they walked into the theatre. Stu let Murdoc pick their seats--right at the very back as usual--and settled in for the pre-movie advertisements. Murdoc took a handful of popcorn and candy, throwing them both into his mouth at the same time.

“You got licorice?” he said, eyeing the bag. “You hate licorice.”

“Yeah, but you like it. I can eat around it,” Stu answered, taking a sip of his soda. Murdoc stared at him, then down at the bag of snacks.

“Oh, uh, thanks, then.”

2D smiled at Murdoc’s awkwardness. The bassist still had so much trouble expressing his feelings and trusting people. So he was glad that Murdoc was willing to accept his kindness for what it was.

The lights began to dim and the movie started playing. Superhero movies weren’t really his thing, but Stu knew Murdoc liked them even if he wouldn’t acknowledge it. One time the bassist had gotten drunk and admitted he’d missed out on those things as a kid--no money to buy superhero comics when his dad was drinking like a fish--and that he liked to indulge himself now no one could stop him. 2D thought it was cute, and endeavoured to help him out wherever he could.

Halfway through the movie, he felt a pressure on his shoulder. Looking to the side he realized it was Murdoc resting his head against him. Stu felt butterflies in his stomach as the bassist reached over the armrest and took his hand as well, getting as close to snuggling as they could. He leaned his head on top of the older man’s as they watched the final half of the movie.

They stayed for the after credits scene as most of the other watchers filtered out. Murdoc straightened up and stopped leaning on him as soon as the lights came up, though he didn’t let go of his hand. Again, Stu wondered at the progress they’d made.

“Did you like it?” he asked, rubbing his thumb against the back of Murdoc’s hand.

“It wasn’t awful,” Murdoc said, shrugging. 2D knew he’d liked it, had felt every time Murdoc’s hand tensed in his at an exciting scene. Murdoc didn’t answer, too busy watching the extra scene and stifling a smile. When the movie was finally actually over they walked out of the theatre together, Murdoc talking excitedly about the implications that last scene had on the entire Marvel Universe

“It’s getting late, maybe we should find somewhere to get dinner before heading back,” Stu suggested, cutting off Murdoc’s monologue. They walked out into the parking lot just as the sun was setting. 2D stood on his tippy toes are he searched for the car while Murdoc thought.

“Where was that one place we went for dinner? The place with that pizza you really like?” Murdoc asked as they walked up and down the rows, searching for the car.

“Oh yeah! You wanna go there?” Finally, they found the car and got in. “I don’t think it’s too far from here.”

“I wouldn’t say no.” 2D started the car. Murdoc still had trouble asking for things he wanted, actually wanted and not just said he wanted. He’d never had a problem making frivolous demands, but rather with things like asking for affection or dealing with physical needs. For the first few months of their relationship, 2D had felt like Murdoc wanted him to be a mind reader before he realized what the real problem was.

Stu wanted to ask how Murdoc was doing, but there was a chance that asking would make thing worse. He had to trust that Murdoc would tell him if he needed something. The bassist hadn’t gone back to the whiskey bottle since getting back into the car, so that had to count for something right?

They pulled into the restaurant parking lot and got out. It was a quaint pizzeria type place with a patio and a homey type of setting. They’d been here on a date a while back on Noodle’s suggestion. 2D thought that maybe she’d just wanted them out of the house while her girlfriend was over, but the pizza was good so he didn’t mind.

“Do you think we can sit out on the patio?” Murdoc asked as they waited for the hostess to seat them.

“I don’t see why not, it’s nice enough out,” 2D agreed. The hostess came quickly after, and she led them out onto the patio before taking their order. “What’re you going to get?”

“Do they have anything besides pizza?” Murdoc joked, closing his menu. “I'm just gonna get the same thing as last time, it was good.”

2D nodded and decided to do the same. That meant they had a few minutes to kill before the waiter came back, and 2D decided it was finally time to talk to Murdoc about earlier.

“So, how’re you feeling?” He tried to phrase it lightly, just in case it set the bassist off. Luckily Murdoc just squinted at him and shrugged slightly.

“Better, I think. Not the best but…” he looked up past the patio awning at the stars. It was a clear night, the air was warm and dry but it was still too early in the year for the bugs to come out. 2D watched Murdoc’s face as the light played off the angles of his face. It was amazing how he could fall in love with the bassist a little more each day.

“It’s nice, today was nice.” He turned back towards the singer with a real, genuine smile on his face. “Thanks, Stu, for everything. I mean it.”

2D blushed a little but didn’t look away. “I know you have rough days sometimes Muds, I do too. I jus’ want to do what I can to make those bad days a little better.”

Murdoc looked away, clearing his throat a little. Stu thought he saw some wetness in his eyes and reached over, placing one of his big hands on Murdoc’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Love you Muds.”

Murdoc wiped his eyes on his sleeve and laughed in that “I’m totally not crying” kind of way. “Yeah yeah, love you too you daft idiot.”

The waiter chose that moment to arrive with their food. 2D removed his hand from the other’s shoulder; Murdoc wasn’t always the most comfortable with PDA and began to dig in.

“Sweet Satan, this is delicious,” the bassist said through a mouthful of sauce and dough. It was kind of adorable, if not a little gross, but that was just Murdoc in general. 2D began to eat his own pizza with a little less gusto; he may have overdone it with the popcorn.

“Glad you like it. Did you want to do anythin’ else after this?”

“I think I’d like to jus’ go home, get some rest. If that’s alrigh’.” At least this time Murdoc took the time to chew and swallow before answering. 2D nodded in agreement. It was getting late and neither of them was as into staying up until dawn as they had been in their younger years.

“Yeah, that’s fine. We could watch some telly or somethin’ if you want.” Murdoc, looked up from his plate, studying 2D for a few seconds before setting his food down.

“Well, what do you want to do? We’ve been doing what i want all day, it’s your turn,” he said, looking the singer over. “You’ve been takin’ care of  me this whole time and I haven’t even asked how you’re doing.”

Sensing Murdoc’s mounting distress, 2D was quick to cut him off. “You’re allowed to think about yourself first sometimes Murdoc. And I’m fine, I’d let you know if I wasn’t.”

“Thanks. But let me know if I’m being a total ass an ignoring you, OK? I’m still… workin’ on it.” 2D smiled and took the bassist’s hand in his from across the table. Just the fact that Murdoc was willing to admit that meant the world to him.

“I will, you know I never miss an opportunity to call you an arse.”

They both laughed then, under the patio awning and the stars. The few other diners no the patio gave them weird looks, but that wasn’t unusually for the rock stars. To them, they were alone on a date, just the two of them enjoying each other. 2D hoped that they could do this more often, whether or not one of them was having a bad day or not. But he could worry about that later. For now, he wanted to enjoy his time with his boyfriend, and his pizza, and the warm night air. They had plenty of time for other dates in the future

[experimentaldata]

Fictober, Day 4 +5

Prompt# 4 + 5: “I know you didn’t ask for this.”“I might just kiss you.”

Fanfiction Fandom: Marvel Comics, freeform, not part of a specific timeline per se 

Characters: Clint Barton, Matt Murdock, Tony Stark (mentioned), Kate Bishop (mentioned), Natasha Romanoff (mentioned), Steve Rogers (mentioned)

Rating: T

Warnings: light swearing, depression, alcohol, smoking mention

Of all the perks that came with this job, Clint thought, free food was one of his favorites. 

Stark Industries was having another one of their yearly get-togethers, as Tony called it, to celebrate...something. Clint hadn’t really been paying attention during the speech. Or the next speech. Or the musical interlude, accepting of some award, and tearful third speech from some philanthropist’s wife. Not like he could catch more than half of what they were saying anyway. The table next to him had just started on their fifth bottle of wine, and had long stopped caring whether the speeches overlapped with their gossiping.

But with boring speeches came a free dinner, complete with champagne, stuffed dates, and those little lettuce wedge salads. First vegetable he’d had in a month, he thought. He’d have to tell Kate. Maybe she’d quit nagging him. He shifted at his chair, tugging on the bow tie she’d cinched around his neck against his will. He felt like a show pony in this getup. One of those runner-up ponies that some girl would befriend in a Hallmark movie--another Kate Bishop addition to his life. 

He glanced at his table-mates. There were three couples, mostly in their mid-fifties or so. He thought he’d heard Tony mention that they were some of the higher-ups from R&D. Directly across from him was a pair he vaguely recognized - must be that blind lawyer guy and his partner. Friend. He didn’t know. He remembered seeing them on the news--something about the blind one having his own superhero identity. He didn’t look much like one, Clint thought, though he did look much more at home in a suit than Clint was. Maybe that was it. 

The speeches finally ended, and a brass band started up “In The Mood.” One by one, couples glided onto the dance floor in front of the stage. Well, there go my chances of any conversation in here, Clint though. He’d better go get some air. And a beer. Did they even serve beer in a place like this? 

They did, and Clint found himself on the balcony off the back of the ballroom, overlooking the city from fifteen stories up. There were some battered deck chair, a grimy-looking table and ashtray, and most importantly, relative silence. The whole scene was lit only by a string of electric lanterns hung around the overhead cabana, and the headlights from the traffic below. Clint sank into a chair, sipping his beer and letting his mind sit blank for awhile.

He wasn’t alone anymore. 

Clint jumped in his chair, nearly spilling his drink. The blind guy from his table was standing right beside him and--how had he not noticed? Mind must’ve been blanker than he thought. 

“Come here often?”

Clint sat bolt upright in his chair. “Nah, man. Just getting my bearings. This kinda thing really isn’t my speed.”

“Me neither. Care if I join you?” this other man asked. Clint noticed that he had a beer of his own.

“Not at all,” Clint said. “Chair’s just to your right.”

“Thanks. I’m Matt, by the way.”

“Pleasure. I’m Clint.”

He folded his cane and sat down. The two men pulled their chairs around the ashtray table and sipped their drinks in silence for awhile.

“Y’know,” Clint said, breaking the silence “If you’d lend me a cigarette, I might just kiss you.”

Matt grinned and shook his head. “Can’t take the smell.” He paused. “You don’t strike me as a smoker.”

Clint shrugged. “Only on special occasions.”

“Ah.”

There was another five minutes of silence. 

“So Clint, what do you do for a living?” Matt asked

Clint sighed. His beer was getting warm. “They tell me I’m a superhero.”

Matt laughed sharply. “Is that so. Can’t say I relate.”

“Aren’t you the one on the news though?” Clint asked, “The one who’s supposed to be the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? Or are there more vigilante blind lawyers that I don’t know about?”

“I plead the fifth,” Matt said, laughing again. 

“Typical shark,” Clint shot back. “Want me to go pick us up another round?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Clint ducked back into the ballroom and came back with the beers. 

“Cheers.”

“Sláinte.”

They sipped in silence again. 

“It’s just hard, you know?” Clint finally said. 

“What is?”

Clint sighed again. “It’s--like, there’s Captain America, right? And Tony Stark, and Natasha, and everyone, and they’re just--on another level. Like they’re not even human. And I’m not talking about superpowers, I’m talking about like basic human...I don’t know, they’re like super-HUMANS. Not just superheroes. But me,” he concluded, “I feel like I’m running every day just to stay still.”

Matt nodded. “I know. You didn’t ask for this. No one does. But one day, the universe just decided that you were special and decided to give you this...gift, I guess you’d call it. And then left you with no instructions.”

Clint scoffed. “Some gift.”

“Yeah, it sucks,” Matt said. 

“I’ll be honest, most days, it seems like it would be easier to just stop trying.” Clint said.

“Stop trying to what?” Matt asked.

Clint shrugged. “I don’t know. Stop trying to be anything, I guess.”

“Some people call that depression.”

“Oh they have,” Clint said ruefully, “Kate has been onto me for weeks. Given me all these pamphlets to read, phone numbers to call. Should probably get around to that one of these days.”

Matt nodded and took another sip of his beer. “So, is Kate your girlfriend?”

“Partner,” Clint replied.

“Ah. I’ve got one of those.” Matt said. “They’re great, but all that selfless love can be...stifling. Especially when you feel like shit to begin with. But hey, life is shit. Might as well do it with other people. They’re the only thing that makes all this worth it, I guess.”

Clint laughed. “So are you a motivational speaker too, on top of the vigilante thing?”

Matt grinned. “Yeah, goes right along with my sunny personality and go-get-’em attitude. Just smelling the roses all day long.” He finished his drink and set the empty bottle on the table.

“Well, Clint, it has been a pleasure. I better get back to that partner, though, or he’ll be worried I’m off trying to use my gifts for the greater good.”

Clint finished off his drink and stood up. “I’m ready too. Want me to head back in there with you?”

“Please.” 

Matt stood and unfolded his cane, and Clint offered him his arm. 

“Hey, man,” Clint said, “Thanks for that. Sorry to kinda go off on you there.”

“No need,” Matt said. “We’ve all been there. Always good to reach out. Let me know if you need to talk again, ok?”

“Yeah,” Clint said. “All right, Mr. I’m-not-a-hero, let’s go find this partner of yours.”

They walked back into the ballroom together. Clint was smiling in spite of himself, for the first time in weeks. 

[howlingwind]

01. what’s your name/alias you go by ??

my name is jeff !! lmfao (i don’t let memes die) it’s not my real name but i’ve gone by cody on tumblr for a long time

02. what’s your age ??

twenty. jfc i’m old. but also apparently a fetus??

03. what’s your zodiac sign ??

aries, which couldn’t feel further from correct lmfao

04. what’s your ethnicity ??

uhh mostly italian & sicilian, but you could probably point to any white place in europe and i’ll have a little bit of that in me. i’m also 1/16th native american but it’s such a small amount and sadly i don’t even know which tribe to learn more about them.

05. what’s your nationality ??

‘murican

06. what’s your favorite band and/or musical artist ??

i’m super indecisive about everything, so it’s difficult for me to pick faves (as you’ll see in a sec) but… mac miller,  post malone, johnny cash, eminem, tenacious d, colter wall, kehlani, bruno mars, snoop dogg, elvis presley, justin timberlake, sublime, the rolling stones, etc etc there’s probably a lot i’m forgetting tho. i like most types of music except country. well, modern country anyway.

07. what’s your dream job ??

uh, i don’t have one? i mean yeah, i’d love to be a writer, or game dev, or a narrative director on a game, or direct, write, or act in movies or television, but like…i could live without any of that stuff. i just want to make a decent living, be able to own a house, not completely hate my job. yknow, not a glamorous life but a good one.

08. what’s one place you would love to visit ??

idk there’s a lot of places i’d like to go, but i’d most like to visit alpha centauri, even tho that’ll never happen lol

09. what’s your favorite tv show ??

i can’t pick that! but i love a lot of shows. general hospital, lucifer, the 100, supernatural, stranger things, izombie, south park, legends of tomorrow, once upon a time, arrow (at times), dragon ball, big brother, riverdale, chilling adventures of sabrina, that 70′s show, the ranch, umm… i could probably keep listing forever.

10. what’s your favorite movie ??

hmmmm, again i’ve got a list but… joe dirt, the new guy, why him, the waterboy, 50 first dates, all the spider-man movies, thor ragnarok, man of steel, 21 jump street, 22 jump street ,and a fuckton more lol 

11. what’s your favorite song ??

constantly in flux, but the current faves are — creep by radiohead, stay by post malone, no below by speedy ortiz, unshaken by d’angelo, cruel cruel world by willie nelson, wanksta by 50 cent, shooter by lil wayne & robin thicke, stressed out by 21 pilots, self care by mac miller (along with practically everything on his final album), and i will always, un-ironically love only in america by riff raff. he’s not the greatest ever but that song is hilarious and always puts me in a good mood.

12. what’s your favorite sport ??

can i say rocket league? lol

13. what’s your favorite food ??

pizza, unquestionably. cereal is a damn close second tho. or pot stickers. damn, i’m hungry… 

14. what’s your favorite face claim to use ??

typically, i’ve always really liked using paul wesley, chris wood, and matt daddario. i’m using lindsey morgan for the first time now though, and i really like her as an fc too.

15. what’s your least favorite face claim ??

to use?? um pretty much any singer or model just bc their resources aren’t too great. i really didn’t enjoy using pete davidson as much as i thought i would, either lol

to see… uh probs emma roberts or andy biersack. emma for obvs reasons but also bc i once had a really bad experience with people using those fcs. idm people using whoever they feel like using tho.

16. what’s your favorite character of yours to play ?? which do you think you’re most like ??

oh man, uhh i really enjoy writing chrissy & theo. they both speak to me. but tbh i’m not much like any of my characters? i’m boring af so i tend not to make any like me lol. i am kinda like theo in the sense that i’m quiet, and really just try to be a good person. other than that i’m most like jason solely based on the fact we’re both human lol

17. what’s your sexuality ??

danversexual. attracted only to fictional danvers women, examples including carol, kara, and alex danvers.

lmfao but nah i’m just a boring straight boy. well, like 99.9% straight. jensen ackles makes me question shit.

18. what’s the last movie you saw in a cinema/theater ??

captain marvel (thanks to dani lol). only two months late but it was worth the experience haha.

19. what’s the worst injury you’ve ever had ??

thankfully i’ve never really hurt myself too terribly except for a broken wrist, but between the ages of 10-17 i’d occasionally hurt my back by sitting weird, usually in an attempt to play video games without the glasses i desperately needed lol. once when i was like 11 i laid belly down on the couch with my elbows up on the arm of it for like three hours, which messed me up for days, then a few other times i hurt myself, but another bad one when i was 17, i had my back curved while sitting and propping my laptop up on my knee, tried to move and literally just cried, crawled on the floor, and laid there all night until i forced myself to move in the morning. lol luckily it hasn’t happened since i lost a little weight.

20. what’s a random or interesting fact about you ??

uhm, nothing? i literally can’t think of one, i’m dull af. i uh.. i replaced my own cpu cooler once? lmfao

21. do you listen to music while you write ??

sometimes. a lot of time i just like the silence or ambient background noise, but if i’ve got a fitting playlist for the vibe of what i’m trying to write, i’ll use it!

22. are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer ??

i’m a never writer, apparently v___v but lol ideally a night writer, my best work is between the hours of 12am & 4am, but my sleeping schedule is so inconsistent, and so is my dad’s who spends literally every waking moment of his telling me different stuff he wants done, so it’s tough to hit that sweet spot. i write whenever i get a chance tho.

23. have you ever roleplayed intoxicated ??

lol nah i’ve never even had a drink. like what teenager doesn’t have a drink at some point?? i told you i’m lame.

24. what language or languages do you speak ??

english, barely. and assassin’s creed 2 taught me some italian swears. and ac: odyssey has had me occasionally dropping “malaka” bombs since the day i first played it haha.

25. how long have you roleplayed ??

officially, about 9 years. i started at 11 on myspace, rping dragon ball z stuff. but basically about 12 years, if you count how from the ages of 8-11 i’d put an anime pic up on my myspace, pretend i was older, and talk to roleplayers i didn’t realize were roleplayers lmfao.

26. favorite roleplay genre ??

i like pretty much anything, tbh. as long as it’s well thought out, has an interesting plot, or whatever. sometimes it doesn’t even need that, it just needs to catch my eye or line up with something i’m looking for. but yeah, supernatural, multi-fandom, sci-fi, romance, town rps, high school/college rps, anime rp (well, pokemon mostly), harry potter… i’ve done it all tbh and don’t particularly have a favorite.

27. one sound you hate & one you love ??

the sound of cotton stretching is the absolute worst thing to me. or scratching cotton. idk, it just sends chills up and down my spine and makes my hands feel weak lmfao. i’m weird. i really love the sound of rain, or fire crackling, or like “ambient” harp or ukulele music.

28. do you believe in ghosts ??

short answer, yes. long answer… i’m pretty sure i was friends with a ghost girl as a kid?? like no joke, even looking back at it through rational “adult” eyes, i’m still convinced. my fam moved into a new apartment, and pretty much right after that i started having dreams about a girl my age at the time (11-12). i’d never seen her before but the dreams would be like just conversations, like i was visiting a friend or something. i don’t remember them much, but i do remember the feeling of someone else in my room all the time, like you know how if someone else is around you just know even if you’re not looking at them? like that. there was even one night i was getting in bed, laid there a minute, and then i could have absolutely sworn somebody came in the room and sat down next to me on the bed because i felt the bed sink a little under their weight, but i looked and no one was there. i had a really vivid conversation/dream/thing that night. then a few nights later, for the first time since moving there i didn’t have one. the next morning my dad was really freaked out and said he fell asleep in the chair, but woke up and couldn’t breathe, and felt cold little hands over his mouth. he rationalized it as just waking up from a nightmare but i didn’t think so, so that night when i went to sleep and saw her i got really upset, yelled at her for it, and woke up right after. then i never saw or heard anything even remotely similar again, like she left or disappeared or something. it’s so weird, and i know how crazy it sounds, but yeah. don’t get me started on the topic of ghosts lmfao. THEN AGAIN, like a year later we had a carbon monoxide scare, but i really doubt the two were related because that would mean there was an entire year that we were breathing it in and the monitor didn’t do anything lol

29. do you believe in aliens ??

no alien story, thankfully, but it just makes no sense not to believe in them to me. like, we probably don’t have them on earth, and we’ve probably never encountered any, but it’s as close as you can get to a mathematical certainty that there’s some other life out there in the universe.

30. do you believe in true love ??

like, people who are just meant for each other, like romantic soulmates? nah not really. but i believe that two people can grow to truly love one another. whether it’s based off an initial attraction/infatuation, or a friendship, or both. i’d actually argue that’s a simple explanation of the biological science behind the feeling of love, but that’s an essay i’m not gonna write lol. but there’s apparently a lot of different types of love, so i guess “true love” is suggestive? 

also slightly unrelated but i don’t-quite-believe-in-but-am-open-to-the-idea-of soulmates, not necessarily as two souls who are just meant for each other romantically and always end up together, but more as two or more souls that gravitate toward each other to make up the important people in each other’s lives, like family members, lovers, or close friends. but that’s more of a theoretical idea/possibility than an actual belief of mine.

31. do you hold grudges ??

um, yes. lol i try not to, and i really do want everyone to be their best/happiest selves, but some people man… some people can take a long walk off a short pier lmao

32. do you have any obsessions right now ??

PO KE MON GOTTA CATCH EM ALLLLL. also… life is strange (thanks dani lol). supernatural. stranger things (thanks dani & steph) the 100 / clexa / becho  (thanks steph). lucifer. captain marvel (thanks dani). the song “creep” by radiohead and all its covers (tom ellis, haley reinhart, etc). cyberpunk 2077 (thanks dani). as you can see, i’m easily influenced lmfao.

33. do you drive & if so, have you ever been in a crash ??

nope i don’t drive, precisely because i’d definitely end up in a crash lol

34. do you like the smell of gasoline ??

uh that’s a big fat no from me, chief

35. do you prefer writing fluff, angst, or smut ??

i like it all equally, i think. i just really like writing & rp in general. i did run a smut rp once in the past tho. it gets old quick tbh and is the one of the three i can live without lol

36. are you in a relationship ??

bahahahahahahaha no.

37. grab the nearest book to you and turn to page 23, what is the 17the line ??

❝  “and why would that be?” kronos’s golden eyes glittered.  ❞

— the last olympian by rick riordan.

38. put your playlist on shuffle and list the first four songs that pop up:

1. season of the witch – donovan 2. riot van – arctic monkeys 3. busta rhymes – qveen herby 4. der kommissar – after the fire

also i gotta cheat because it’s too perfect that the next two are

5. stay – mac miller (one of my favorites ever that i forgot to mention above) 6. only in america – riff raff (i just love this ok. the video is hilarious but tw james franco for those that don’t like him)

[aenariasbookshelf]

Welcome to crack week 2019, and all the props in the world to @dresupi for doing a fab job coming up with these prompts.  The first prompt is, appropriately so, ‘Taser Mishaps’.  And, for some reason I like to return to the Dreamsverse when I’m feeling a bit out of sorts.  It’s like a comforting old friend, where none of my characters really know what they’re doing in this life, but they’re muddling through anyway.  This is utter and total crack, mind you, so please don’t come shouting at me that this scenario isn’t realistic.  The entire point is the lack of realism here.

I also have been feeling the strong desire to return to 2012 MCU fandom lately, for all obvious reasons, and so these cracky little ficlets in the Dreamsverse take place over the summer of 2012, a younger, more innocent time for my babies.  Although, admittedly, I’m totally pulling some characters from the more recent Marvel movies, definitely inspired by a post from @anais-ninja-bitch of late that spurred on some amazing headcanons.

There are a lot of OCs in this verse, and I’m hitting the ground running with them, so if you want to learn a little more about them, you can find the rest of the Dreamsverse at AO3.  If you don’t want to read through five long stories though, here’s what you need to know: 1) recently established Shieldshock where Darcy and Steve are neighbors in Brooklyn 2) Darcy has a LOT of roommates 3) No one knows Steve is Captain America, because his public identity is still secret (oh, it was a more innocent time then, and I’m a total sucker for a secret identity…).

Day 1 - Taser Mishaps

“This will not end well,” Barrett says.  His face is pinched with worry, and if the wary expression didn’t give it away, the way his fingertips keep tapping out a staccato beat on the worn windowsill say plenty, also.

Steve looks up at Barrett from his perch halfway down the steps between the fire escapes.  There’s already a rough edged rip in his t-shirt where the wrought iron had snagged it, the flaps peeling away to reveal a slice of his muscular chest.  Beyond that, the slight claw marks in his skin were showing up nicely red against his pale flesh.  “I realize that,” he replies with all of the patience he can muster up, “but what choice to do we have?”  His other hand has a thick rope wrapped around it, the other end of which is wrapped a few times around Darcy’s waist, just for extra safety purposes.

“Dude, it’s not my taser; I won’t get arrested for having an illegal weapon in this state!”

“Will you two shut up!” Darcy calls back over her shoulder, reaching around to adjust the rope and stop it from digging into her skin.  “The pigeons are getting even madder.”

It was purely an accident that Darcy’s taser had gone out the window.  She’d had it out in the kitchen, left on the little counter they’d set up in front of the window for some extra space so she could drop it into her backpack.  But the day is one of those summer days, where it’s nice and hot but there’s a breeze coming off the water, and it’s just about perfect as long as you can ignore the ever pervasive smell of hot garbage that seems to emanate from the pores of NYC in the warm weather, and the window was open to get some much needed fresh air in the apartment.  

So, of course someone ended up knocking into the counter and sending the taser clattering out of the window.  It didn’t fall far, only down to an ancient cement ledge on the story below theirs, but that little trip led to an entirely new set of problems.  First, the window behind the ledge had been bricked up ages before, so they couldn’t go through the apartment below theirs to retrieve the taser.  Second, the ledge had become overgrown with moss and lichen, making it a wonderfully soft location and protected location for a pigeon couple to set up a nest to keep their eggs warm and cozy.

The taser had landed just beyond the pigeons’ nest, and Mama Pigeon really, really didn’t like Steve, much to his chagrin and everyone else’s amusement during the first retrieval attempt.  Which is how Darcy ended up in the makeshift harness trying to reach past one very pissed off pigeon to retrieve her highly illegal non-lethal weapon.  

Mama Pigeon wriggles in her nest, and puffs her feathers up, giving Darcy a glare that translates all too well across species.  “I know,” Darcy says with a sigh.  “Just give me a few seconds and I’ll get out of your way?” she all but begs.  She reaches out again, trying to curve her arm up from below so that Mama Pigeon doesn’t see her coming and she can just snatch her taser back. 

She moves slowly, with careful intent, and she can feel Steve and Barrett’s eyes following her every move.  They’re all so intent on watching Darcy, however, that they don’t see the U-Haul van come to a jolting stop in the alley below them.  The passenger side door of the van opens, and another one of the roommates, Jess, steps out to stare gape mouthed at the sight above them.  “What the fuck is going on?!” she yells up at the crowd on the fire escape.

“Darcy’s taser got taken hostage by a pigeon!” Barrett yells back.

Darcy twists to give Barrett a glare, which makes Steve scramble to get an even tighter grip on the ropes keeping her in place.  “I wasn’t the one who knocked it out the window, butterfingers,” she spits out.

“Can we get this over with before you get arrested for illegal carry?  And before you scare off your new roommate?”  Steve cocks his head in the direction of the street below, at the young black woman who’d stepped out from the driver’s seat of the van and who had joined Jess in staring up at the chaos above them.  

“Ooh, good point.”  Darcy twists in the other direction to wave at the new woman, which is enough to make Steve lunge forward, quickly wrapping the loose rope around his forearm, and grab for the waistband of her shorts and at her hip to be certain that she doesn’t fall into the open dumpster in the alley below.  “Hi!  Monica, right?  Welcome to the madhouse!”

Down on the street, Monica slides her eyes over to Jess with a knowing look.  “You are very, very lucky that this is not the craziest thing I’ve seen in my life,” she says.

“It’s only Tuesday,” Jess replies with a nonchalant shrug, her eyes still watching the attempt at taser retrieval.  “Just wait until the weekend.”

A/n: yes, that Monica.  I couldn’t resist. :D

[girlbookwrm]

ok but why isn’t it called avengers assemble tho

AKA THE GREAT MARVEL REWATCH PART THIS-IS-NOT-AS-GOOD-AS-I-REMEMBER-IT-BEING-WHEN-I-FIRST-SAW-IT

Avengers is a movie that has not aged well for either me or The Roommate (aka @goteamwin) and we had a whole conversation about how at the time it came out we were excited about Avengers, even though neither of us were yet hip-deep in the Marvel fandom. But we were !excited! because !Joss Whedon! and now we are ?disappointed? because ?Joss Whedon?

This movie, in retrospect, might be The Tipping Point of Joss Whedon’s career? like? It contains everything that was Great about his movies but also contains the seeds of his ultimate self-destruction.

ANYWAY ON WITH THE REWATCH, AKA STEVE ROGERS AND THE CUBE THAT WOULDN’T FUCKING DIE

this opening scene is so expositiony and on the one hand at least it doesn’t contain a flashback but on the other hand? it’s bad?? It’s a bad start???

sidenote by The Roommate: so i know that it was recently confirmed that Loki was being mind-controlled in Avengers but also. Was there ever any question about whether Loki was being mind controlled? or am I just That Fangirl

Sidenote to the sidenote, By Me: She is not That Fangirl, but i suspect that she was perilously close to becoming That Fangirl at some point in her past.

oh hey phil’s here

i do appreciate that they’re prioritizing evac. that’s nice attention to a detail that usually does not get addressed.

the line about the tesseract “misbehaving” being followed immediately by a line about the Tesseract “behaving” dRiVeS mE FUCKING B O N K E R S I HATE IT SO MUCH????

anyway

Every once in a while I forget how hot Jeremy Renner is. 

The Roommate: Yeah it sneaks up on ya.

IT’S JUST BAD WRITING? MISBEHAVING AND BEHAVING ARE LITERALLY ANTONYMS.

ANYWAY.

“You have heart” is also maybe kind of bad writing.

We had to pause and rewind to confirm that yup Loki trips there, because he is having A Trouble (at The Roommate’s urging. Perilously close, my good dude.)

Loki like a labrador getting to ride in the back of the truck for the first time. The Smells! The Sights and Sounds!! The Wind In My Hair!!! THE EXPLOSIONS!!!!

Phil says: “what do we do” and I look at my roommate and say: “The dialogue in this movie is.......... not good.”

it’s just so out of keeping with the Professional Military vibe these three have going otherwise? it’s very ooc sounding to my ear??

anyway

I actually really like this scene with the Black Widow and the russians and that’s all i have to say about that.

actually, you  know what really Makes It for me? Phil bopping along to the sound of  Nat beating up bad guys like it’s on hold music. That’s Just Great.

“‘‘“““budapest”‘‘““““‘‘ aka a clip from later in this movie but flipped.

we can’t talk about the brucenat yet that’s for the aou rewatch

“i’m sorry, that was mean” GOD RUFFALO IS SUCH A GOOD BRUCE???

also Natasha is clearly having A Moment whERE ARE MY 8000 METAS ON WHATEVER NAT IS CLEARLY HAVING A FLASHBACK ABOUT

hey it’s these shadowy figures from the shadowy global organization

“it’s won by Soldiers”--transition to--> Steven Grant Rogers this is an A+ transition and it just makes me angrier that we did not get the full Sadsack Steeb scene from the deleted scenes which is EXCELLENT.

SERIOUSLY. THAT’S A GREAT SCENE. I LOB IT.

*steve’s butt comes on screen*

Me: Ohhhhh say can you SEEEEEE

*the flashback happens*

The Roommate: THis is Un. Necessary.

Me, looking at her, knowing that the first time she saw Avengers she had not seen The First Avenger yet: ..............

Me: un necessary? UN? NECESSARY???

has Steve been sleeping at all tho?

“C eLeBRaTingG??” CELEBRATING WHAT, NICHOLAS? ALL HIS FRIENDS ARE DEAD???

“he’s... not from around here.” THAT IS WILDLY OVERSIMPLIFIED.

“Shoulda left it in the ocean.” 

“shoulda maybe left me in the ocean too” *tired old man sounds.*

Tony is. So Neurotic. About Everything. I Lob Him.

I Think the problem is at least partly that some of Joss Whedon’s lines (in this movie especially) are just so transparently set ups for Snappy Comebacks™

Pepper Potts is also equal parts mom and girlfriend and it seems likely that this is exactly why No Kids, Tony.

Oh Phil.

sidenote from me: Phanboy Phil is a perfect example of something that is Unexpected but Not Out Of Character. Joss Whedon loves doing The Unexpected but he’s not always so great at making it Not Out Of Character

“need a little old fashioned” I WOULD LIKE IT KNOWN THAT AT THIS POINT I WAS IN FACT DRINKING AN OLD FASHIONED CHEERS I DRANK TO THAT BRO

To Loki: Hey bro. how u doin? (spoiler alert: Not Great) u let ur hair grow out and i hate it.

MA’AM he calls her MA’AM steve is such a N E R D

sidenote, at this point i had to pause the movie because i was having An Emotion, because Steve is all sadsack talking to Fury and then equally sadsack talking to Phil and then he comes out of the Quinjet like “Ma’am. Dr. Banner. Word Is You Can Find The Cube. Why What A Wonderful Day It Is Here In The Future Golly Gosh I Sure Do Love It A Lot” in his Olde Tyme Radio Announcer Voice.

and it made me s a d

The Roommate: Well of course he’s talking like an olde tyme radio announcer he has anxiety and this is a stressful situation, so he’s using his Please Don’t Hate Me™ Customer Service™ Voice™

*sadness intensifies*

The Roommate: Steven. I know you were in the army but surely even you know that submarines do not have flight crews.

Maria Hill here, assessing Cap’s assets.

I talk (and will continue to talk) a lot of shit about this movie, but it gave us a lot of Really Good Things, and Nerd!Phil is one of those good things.

Cap’s suit is VERY MUCH NOT ON THE LIST OF GOOD THINGS.

Okay i hate to go on about this (no i don’t) 

But at this stage of the movie, the Avengers have only met Captain America. Like, he’s in the spangly suit, he’s got his Customer Service Voice on, his hair is pomaded to kingdom come, he tucks his plaid shirt into his khaki pants

This is Captain America

This is Not Steve Rogers.

None of the avengers have met Steve Rogers yet and that is just so

* S A D N E S S   I N T E N S I F I E S *

Who built this eyeball device? why? where does it come from? how do they get it? why is it like this? IT IS SO! UNNECESSARY??

“you crave subjugation” loki. Loki. LOKI. i feel like you are talking to yourself. this feels like you’re talking about you. just say you’re a bottom, find yourself a nice service top to take care of you and stop making these poor bastards part of your Extra™ Nonsense.

“we ended up disagreeing” said Captain America.

“nOt TOdAY!” OH HEY STEVE IS HERE GOOD TO SEE YOU STEVE.

“FoR an OldER FEllOW???” WHAT AN EXCELLENT TIME TO POINT OUT THAT TONY STARK, AT THE TIME OF THE AVENGERS, IS, LIKE, FORTY TWO. AND STEVEN ROGERS IS, LIKE, TWENTY-SIX.

*lightning happens*

The Roommate: OH YOU GUYS ARE SCREWED NOW

“I have a plan. Attack.” TONY TEDWARD STARK THAT IS NOT A PLAN.

Last Known Instance of Steve Using a Parachute.

Loki: I’m listening.

Me: Thor is already Gone. so that snappy comeback™ is for whomst???

CHILDREN. STOP FIGHTING. GRANDPA IS HERE.

“are we done?” yeah, they’re all just too Manly to say owwwwwww

Upon Rewatching It Is Painfully Obvious that the Producers Had No Idea that the Mind Stone was in the Staff.

“I understood that reference”

I know it’s overused, but it’s still a Golden line

Steve is so proud of himself.

Tony’s eyeroll is Un Paralleled.

God this is such a group project, and they all fit into their roles so well.

Thor: Well Meaning but Entirely Useless Jock

Steve: Neurotic Organizer With No Applicable Skills

Tony: Genius. Would Be MVP If He Could Be Persuaded To Give A Single Shit. Keeps Suggesting They Do Something Else.

Bruce: “uhhhhhhhh i just wanna finish my work here, and--”

Also: No one in this room is wrong, and that is actually pretty good writing, imo.

“I’ve got a cluster of shrapnel...”

Tony.

Honey.

That is not at all the same thing.

Stop comparing those things.

S T O P.

Thor: In my youth--

Me: THOR YOUR YOUTH WAS LIKE TWO MONTHS AGO.

so this scene with Loki and Black Widow feels very Blocked and Staged but that does not stop it from being Very Good, IMO and no I will not be taking input on that assessment, I really like this particular interpretation of the Black Widow.

Steve: Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. Uses the Cube to make weapons. Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.

HEY LOOK IT’S STEVE!! STEVE THIS IS EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY, THIS IS STEVE.

Fury: BECAUSE OF HIM.

Thor: me????

Me: THOR HAS LITERALLY DONE NOTHING WRONG LEAVE HIM A L O N E

a) clint rly likes that bow move but more importantly b) clint? u ok? does the brainwash gang get naptime? u look like u could use a nap, sweetums.

TONY LAST MOVIE U HAD THAT PACKED IN A SUITCASE WHY IS IT IN A BANK VAULT???

Did Bruce invest in some kind of specialty pant company? like? kickstarter or something?

Steve goes outside like It’s Cool I Don’t Need Air. 

digi steve is VERY DIGI.

let it be known that thor is coming into this VERY BLIND he has LITERALLY NEVER SEEN THE HULK BEFORE. is he just like, internally ???????IS THIS NORMAL FOR HUMANS?????????????????

“It seems to run on some form of electricity.”

AW STEVE’S HERE AGAIN. 

captain sassmerica

Steve does an awful lot of high kicks and i’m pretty sure he learned those on the Star Spangled Circuit

that arrow-in-computer thing is R I D I C U L O U S.

On the one hand, I definitely shipped Clintasha when I first saw this movie, on the other hand, I can totally see a brother/sister “we were raised in the same dysfunctional foster family” dynamic and I do actually like it.

“It’s Barton”

Natasha: *clint???* *HE HAS CHILDREN.* *AUNTIE NAT POWERS ACTIVATE* “this is agent romanoff. I copy.”

OH NO PHIL

do you remember when character deaths had meaning?

good times.

good. times.

sidenote:

The Roommate: I actually really like this Clint/Nat fight scene there’s no monologuing just Real Fighting

Me: Yeah, with Real Hair-Pulling and Real Biting.

*THONK*

Me: And Real Concussions.

LOOK EVEN PHIL KNOWS THAT LOKI IS BEING MIND CONTROLLED SERIOUSLY WHY WAS THIS EVER EVEN A QUESTION

god it’s so sad that phil is like “no this is fine. it’s cool. we all know that someone has to die in order for them to stop fighting like children.”

let. phil. clock. out.

Tony Stark: I Am Very Dramatically Leaving.

“old fashioned” NICK THAT IS R U D E. YOU K N O W WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO STEVE HERE.

“big and green and buck ass nude” THIS GUY. I LOVE THIS GUY.

what is this insta filter.

“cognitivive recalibration” becomes a meme in shield. like, that butterfly meme but the guy is saying “IS THIS COGNITIVE RECALIBRATION” and on the Butterfly it just says TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.

Possibly The First Ever Steve Rogers Door Lean Scene™

The Roommate: The subtext that I got, from this scene, the first time I watched it, was that those cards belonged to Nick. Like, Nick had his own vintage set in near mint condition that he bloodied up

I just think it’s adorable that that’s where her brain went with that information. it’s nice. it must be nice for her.

Dear Dr. Selvig: Should You be gendering the Tesseract?

JESUS DID THEY DIP LOKI’S HEAD IN ELMER’S GLUE? IT’S SO GROSS AND GREASY??

“We’re damn sure going to avenge it” 

The Roommate: That’s not a good tagline.

Me: In their defense, it’s not a great name, and they were kinda stuck with it by this point

tony’s dead, these people are dead, maria’s dead from that grenade she caught earlier everyone is dead dead dead dead dead

The chitauri mean. Nothing. to anyone. and they don’t mean anything until Infinity War roles around, you know? that just. sticks in my head.

“did you stop for drive through??” YES. YES THEY DID. THERE WERE NO MEALS IN THE BRAINWASH GANG AND STEVE WON’T SHARE HIS THIGH ZIPPER SNACKS.

is it madness? Is It?? IS IT???

Peggy’s reincarnated husband???

“As a team” STEVEN GRANT ROGERS THAT IS NOT A PLAN.

bruce’s motorcycle: Puttputtputtputtputtputtputtputt

Nat and Cap are so in sync? It’s almost like they were trained by the same person?? But Where Could Natasha Have Learned How To Fight Side By Side With Someone Who Had Gotten The Superserum??? W I L D??????????

“And he didn’t invite me?” It’s ok tony u don’t invite him to civil war so.

Hulk And The Marvelous Wonderful Yes Good Very Smash Day.

he’s just having so much fun?

The Roommate: Steve in this suit is very Adam West Batman

Me: Tiny Turtle of Freedom!!

The Roommate: Yeah especially when he does that.

Clint: Nat whAT ARE YOU DOING??

Me: HER BEST

Jarvis is so tired. “IT’S THE SAME THICKNESS FROM THE INSIDE AS FROM THE OUTSIDE SIR.”

the SHIELD pilot here is very chilled out for a man about to commit mass murder.

“What, are you getting sleepy?”

aw steve’s here!

The Roommate: Pepper Potts’ superpower is saying no and calling the authorities. Her kryptonite is phone calls.

#accurate

no shawarma for you, loki

pooter!

“where are the Avengers?” TAKING A DAMN NAP. THEY’VE EARNED IT.

god that shot with the tesseract STEVE’S FACE JESUS CHRIST.

steve wear a helmet.

“...is to court death”

Thanos: *grins*

Me: IT IS SO PAINFULLY OBVIOUS THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW THEY WERE GOING TO DEVELOP THANOS. LIKE THIS IS A CLEAR FORESHADOW OF THE THANOS/DEATH SHIP AND THAT! DOES! NOT! HAPPEN!

om nom nom nom nom nom 

(ps yes we did eat shawarma whilst watching this movie because of course we did)

[windfighter]

For the @iron-man-bingo, square: Coming out

Fandom: Marvel, Avengers Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Loki, Peter Parker, Rhodey, Howard Stark Tags: Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Homophobia, Coming Out, Trans Character, Trans Peter Parker, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, 5+1 Things, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro                            Words: 1764

Summary:

Tony is perhaps not the first you'd trust with your innermost secrets, but five times people did it anyway. And one time Tony tried to trust someone with his.

— 

Trustworthy wasn't usually a word used to describe Tony Stark. During bad days it made him sad, all other days it was understandable. Because who in their right mind would trust Mr ”I am Iron Man” to keep a secret? Even before the Iron Man spectacle Tony had a habit of speaking first and thinking later, a result of his brain working too fast for him to keep up. That's why it always surprised him whenever someone would entrust him with a secret.

#1

MIT. Tony and Rhodey where leaning over their books to study. Rhodey closed his books and let out a frustrated groan.

”Sometimes I miss high school. Stuff were simpler back then.”

”I'm just happy the teachers are finally at my level.”

Rhodey threw a pillow at Tony and laughed.

”You are so stupidly confident. How do you not have more friends?”

Tony grimaced.

”How about you? How are you not Mr. Popular?”

”I'm friends with you.”

Rhodey opened his book again, but mostly ignored it.

”And it's just... when people get close they always try to fix me.”

”Fix?”

”Never mind”, Rhodey tried to laugh.

”No, I want to know so I can kick their asses if it ever happens again.”

Rhodey actually snorted at that.

”Sure shortie, good luck with that.”

”I'm not that short! Wait, don't change the subject!”

”It's just that when people realize I'm not interested in hooking up or getting into relationships...”

Tony kept his face neutral, tried to not let his surprise at Rhodey actually sticking to the subject show.

”You're ace”, he said.

”How do you even know that word?”

”I know everything”, Tony shrugged. ”You're ace and people are stupidheads about it because they don't understand?”

”But you do?”

Tony shrugged again.

”Not completely, but enough to know there's nothing to fix.

He closed his book, grabbed the next one and shot Rhodey a smiled.

”Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”

”I'll be haunting your ass otherwise.”

”It's a fine ass to haunt.”

Tony handed Steve a drink and sat down in the armchair next to him. Steve starerd at the alcohol.

”You know I can't get drunk, right?”

”Did the serum also kill your tastebuds?”

”Touché.”

They raised their glasses, clinked them together and sipped their drinks. Tony glanced at Steve, at this person who had just recently woken up to a new world and was obviously still grieving the loss of the past.

”What do you miss the most?” Tony asked, not expecting an answer because there wasn't a reason for Steve to trust him yet, especially not if he had heard what S.H.I.E.L.D or the media had to say about him. Steve smiled sadly towards the glass.

”Bucky”, he didn't even hesitate. ”Bucky was great, he was always there for me, from the moment we met. Bucky was...” Steve took a shaky breath. ”Whenever I was with him I was home. I... I miss him so much.”

Steve's eyes glittered and Tony patted his shoulder.

”I'm sorry.”

”It's not your fault, I just... I loved him and I never got to tell him. Not like I loved Peggy, but...”

Tony tensed his muscles to avoid squirming in the seat.

”How did you love Peggy?”

”She was so pretty and strong and her lips were so full and I couldn't stop wondering how it would feel to kiss them and...”

Tony coughed, choked on his drink. Steve hit him in the back to help but Tony waved him off.

”Sorry, it's just... Hearing someone talk like that about aunt Peggy is weird.”

”Oh”, Steve blushed. ”I'm sorry, I didn't know.”

”I was the one who asked”, Tony sipped on his drink. ”Anyway so you're bi?”

”...what?”

”Bisexual. Attracted to more than one gender. It's okay now, in case no one told you.”

”I'm... not?”

”You wouldn't want to tap this?” Tony gestured at himself and Steve's blush got bright again.

”No! I loved Bucky and all but I never wanted to do him!”

”Biromantic then”, Tony shrugged. ”It's okay, I won't tell anyone.”

”I don't even know what that means.”

”The internet is there, look it up.”

Tony put his empty glass on the table, got up from the couch and patted Steve's shoulder before leaving. As he was headed down for breakfast the next day Steve caught him, tablet clutched to his chest.

”So I guess I am”, Steve said.

”What?” Tony wasn't awake enough to deal with confused avengers.

”Biromantic. You were right. Don't tell anyone.”

”Your secret is safe with me.”

”I'll go Captain America on your ass otherwise.”

#3

Bucky was sitting on a desk in Tony's workshop while Tony was working on his arm. Sam was on the other side of the door making funny faces at Bucky and Bucky flipped him off, yelled at him in Russian. Sam made another funny face before laughing and leaving so Bucky would stop moving as Tony tried to work. Bucky let out a sigh as he watched Sam leave.

”Fuck, I am so gay.”

”Everyone's a little gay nowadays.”

Bucky froze.

”Shit, did I say that out loud?”

”You did”, Tony laughed. ”Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.”

”It better be or I'll set the Winter Soldier on your ass.

”At least one of you want to tap it”, Tony laughed.

#4

There was a woman sitting in the bar. She had raven black hair, piercing green eyes and was dressed in a black, green and gold armor, a green cape draped over her shoulders.

”Anthony”, she smiled. ”I came for that drink you offered.”

”Loki”, Tony nodded to her as he realized who she was. ”Now that I'm not here to threaten you I can say you look good.”

”You are not surprised?”

”I stopped being surprised a long time ago.”

Tony poured two drinks and handed her one. They sat down in the couch together and sipped on them.

”So you're genderfluid.”

”Is that what you Midgardians call it?”

”Must be nice to be able to change like that.”

”Magic is useful in some cases”, her hands glowed green. ”Do you wish to try?”

”Nah. Screw gender, but I'm happy as I am.”

They kept drinking, Tony refilled their glasses and Loki looked through the window, her eyes far away.

”Brother believes it's just another tool I use to further my agenda. At times it saddens me.”

”Should I talk to him?”

”It is way past the time for talking, but I must thank you for your offer. Most would not.”

”No worries then, Reindeer games. Your secret is safe with me.”

Loki smirked.

”I certainly hope so. If not there would be some light stabbing of your arse in the future and it would be a shame for that to happen.”

#5

Tony was watching Peter as he worked. The kid's movements were stiff and unusually awkward. He left his own workplace and went over to Peter's.

”Hey kid, something on your mind?”

”Ah!” Peter startled, dropped the tool he had been working with. ”M... Mr Stark! Hey! It's nothing, I just...”

”I'm here if you ever need to talk.”

”I'm uh”, Peter squirmed in the seat. ”I'm trans. Thought you deserved to know.”

Peter grabbed the tool and returned to working on his webshooters. Tony sat down on the desk.

”Hey, Pete, look at me.”

”Please don't hate me?”

”Why would I hate you? You're still Pete, right? Please don't tell me you've had me misgendering you this whole time.”

”Still... still Peter.”

”Okay, good. Next order of business: No one deserves to know your secrets. Okay? You decide when and if to entrust them to people. No matter what they do for you there is never, at no point, a time when they get to know your secrets if you're not ready for it.”

”Okay. I'm sorry, Mr Stark, I do trust you.”

”Makes me happy to hear. And thanks for telling me, I can make the suits safer for you now.”

Tony went back to his own workbench, pulled up the schematics for the next spidersuit. He glanced at Peter.

”Who else knows?”

”Uhm... Aunt May, Ned and MJ. And Flash.”

”The kid who bullies you?”

”He knew me before”, Peter shrugged. ”He's actually nice about it? For a bully I mean.”

”Okay, I get it”, Tony laughed. ”Don't worry kid, your secret is safe with me.”

”I... I know”, Peter smiled, then turned his chair around to look at Tony. ”Mr Stark, do you have any secrets?”

Tony took a shaky breath, then smiled towards the kid.

”Nope, I'm an open book.”

Peter laughed and they both went back to work.

#+1

Tony knew the importance of secrets, because he had let his own spill once when he was younger. He had gotten home from a day at the library, jittery in a way he had never been before. He went to the workshop, full of enegy that he needed to divert into something, preferable another invention. Howard was there, nodded at him. Tony tried to contain his happiness, so he'd be less obnoxious for Howard. Of course Howard missed nothing.

”What has you so happy, boy?”

”I met this guy at the library”, Tony couldn't stop himself. ”He was really cute and almost as smart as I am so we could actually hold a conversation, it was amazing! I'm... I'm meeting him again next week.”

Tony smiled, blushed and focused on the items spread out on his desk. Howard was next to him, his open hand collided with Tony's cheek and Tony stumbled. It stung and Tony's eyes widened.

”D-dad?”

”No son of mine is allowed to be a fag.”

Tony hadn't planned to ever come out to Howard, to let his secret spill, but he would not accept being called a fag when he wasn't one.

”I'm not! I'm not gay! I'm bi, it's not the same thing!”

Howard slapped Tony again. Tony stumbled and fell to the floor.

”You will not let anyone else know, ever. Is that understood?”

Tony didn't answer and Howard kicked him in the side.

”Is that understood?”

”Y... yes sir.”

”And you will not meet this boy again either.”

Tony didn't answer this time either and Howard stomped on his chest.

”Is that understood?”

”Yes... sir...”

”Good.”

Howard grabbed Tony's collar, dragged him out of the workshop and left him on the floor. As he returned and locked the doors to keep Tony out, Tony decided to never spill a secret again.

— 

[crashdevlin]

Hands

TITLE: Hands

AUTHOR: @crashdevlin

PAIRING: Clint Barton X Reader

RATING: Explicit

SUMMARY: Y/n was on the fast track to being a high-level SHIELD agent until Hydra came out of the woodwork. Three years later, she’s working for the Avengers. Written for @fandom-and-feminism and @fadingcoast‘s Marvel Smut Writing Challenge.

NOTES/WARNINGS: Genius!Reader, SHIELD Agent!Reader, brain damage, angst (cause of brain damage), self-worth issues (cause of brain damage), masturbation, elevator sex, oral sex (fem and male rec), a bit of dirty talk, unprotected sex, semi-public sex

PROMPT:  Character A speaks multiple languages and Character B thinks A can’t speak their language, until A reveals they have heard all the things B has said about them, and how bad B wants them.

The first time it happened was the first time he walked into the Avengers compound and saw you. Even from across the room, the very large room, even with your own eyes focused on Tony Stark (who was running down the specs of an Iron Man suit he was midway through creating in such a rapid fashion that you couldn't help but think he was trying to overwhelm you with tech talk) you could feel eyes on you. You maneuvered yourself so that you could see who was staring at you in the reflection of a high, tilted window over Tony's head.

You watched as Clint Barton grabbed Natasha Romanoff's attention and his hands flew into action. *Who is the new girl?*

Romanoff's hands are impossibly fast, so fast that you almost didn't catch her spelling your name out, alphabetically and following with *Ex-S-H-I-E-L-D, out of commission since S-H-I-E-L-D fell.*

*Operation or Technology?*

Natasha smirked as she made a 'V' with her right hand and slid it through the cup shape of her left hand. *Both.*

Clint's eyes went wide. *No shit?*

*Semester with Technology, summer with Operation. P-h-D in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering. Highest mark given on my Operation course.*

*Shit.* He looked away from you and picked up his quiver from the ground. You had to read his lips for the next bit. "Too smart for an idiot like me."

"I'm gonna go ahead and stop you, Mr. Stark, because the last thirty seconds you've just been spouting nonsense. I've researched your work, especially the mechanical complexity of the Iron Man Suits marks 1 through 35 and Obadiah Stane's Warmonger armor. Mark 1 is actually my favorite because it was built with practically nothing besides your genius." Your eyes fell to Tony's face, which was looking a bit proud but mostly just shocked. "I recognize that I am not as intelligent as you, sir, I think there's only a handful of people who come close, but do spare me the bullshit. I need to save the brainpower I've got for real issues."

"Right. Welcome to Team Avengers." He said, with a smirk.

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind?"

"I do not." He said, gesturing away from you.

You smiled and walked over to Natasha. "Agent Romanoff!"

The redhead smiled at you as you approached. "We're not SHIELD anymore, y/n. You can call me 'Natasha'."

"Right. Of course."

"And this is Clint, also no longer SHIELD." Natasha said, nodding at Clint.

You smiled. "Of course I know Hawkeye." You offered your hand and he took it with a nod. "I did a study on you for extra credit in my Marksmanship class."

"You what?!" His eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't really need to do the extra credit but it did boost my GPA to a 4.8 and that was nice." You dropped his hand and tucked your arms behind your back. "Besides, I had a weekend free."

"A 4.8? I didn't think there was a 4.8." Clint said.

"What can I say? I'm an overachiever."

"How's the head?" Natasha asked.

"Doctors say it's as good as it's gonna get. Got a gnarly scar, though." You said, flipping your hair to show the scar across your scalp from the Hydra bullet that had you in a coma for months and extensive therapy afterward.

"Your first battle wound. Nice." Natasha said with a smirk.

"What happened?" Clint asked.

You chuckled and dropped your hair. "Hydra doesn't really take 'no' easily. When they took the Tech Academy, they tried to convince me to turn and I spit in their faces... and shot three of them." You shrugged. "So they shot me back. I'm sure they thought I was dead."

"But a bullet can't keep this one down. Was it three months in a coma?" Natasha asked.

"No, six months in a coma, eighteen months of physical and cognitive therapy. I'm at about seventy percent which is..." You gave a small sigh, a flash of depression shooting through you. "...good as it's gonna get, but still, apparently, good enough for Tony Stark."

"We're lucky to have you. You at seventy percent is better than most of the agents that ever came out of the SHIELD academy." Natasha praised.

You nodded, not really believing her. "Thanks, Natasha. I just work harder than everybody else."

"So... sorry... you're not gonna be in the field, then?" Clint asked.

Natasha touched the fingers of her right hand to her forehead, then brought them down to a 'y' shape. *Why?*

Clint smiled as he turned to Nat and quickly responded. *She hot and broken. She would make me distracted.*

*I'm not?*

*I'm immune to your charisma. No distracted.*

"I'm offended, Clint." Natasha said, obviously not meaning it. "She'll be fine in the field, won't you, y/n?"

You clicked your tongue against the roof of your mouth. "I'll need to do extensive training with the team before I trust myself in the field. You know, learn limits, yours and mine. Luckily, I'm good for more than just kicking ass, so... Anyway."

"Have they set you up in one of the rooms, yet?" Natasha asked as the two of you walked away from Clint.

"Yes. I'm right down the hall from Captain Rogers' room."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second time it happened was after you'd been working with the Avengers for about a month. Tony was throwing a party. You learned quickly that Tony liked his parties, small and big. You usually went for the wallflower approach for his parties, especially the big ones. With that much going on, it played hell with your concentration. You supposed it was good practice, though, since a fight was almost never gonna happen in an isolated environment.

"~ey, y/n. ~~~~ rink?" Clint's voice came across in pieces.

You turned on the couch to look at him. "What?"

"I asked if you wanted a drink." He answered as he sat on the arm of the sofa.

You gave a nervous chuckle and shook your head. You gestured at your temple. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"'Cause your brain thing?" He asked softly.

"Yeah. It's not..." The words stalled in your throat. "I..." Your eyes clenched closed as you fought to get your brain to cooperate.

"Hey, it's cool. Don't stress. That makes it worse, right? Water?"

"Thin Q. Fuck. Thank. You." You stressed, forcing a deep breath.

"What did I just say?" He smirked as he jumped up and rushed to the bar to get a glass of water. You smiled at him as he handed you the glass. "So, have Tony and Bruce come up with anything for the... you know, to get you to a hundred percent?"

You balanced the cup on your knee and sighed. "Uh, they're working on a.... a... not a hat... a... god, it's bad tonight." You tried to shut out the music and the conversations around you as you took a deep breath and tried again. "A helmet that will help heal the remaining scarring and then they're planning to... something with the synaptic connections." You shook your head in frustration.

"Hey, it's not-"

"Don't tell me it's not so bad, Clint." You snapped. He raised an eyebrow at you as you looked down at your lap. "You don't know what it's like... to be... I'm a genius. I was top of my class, every class, and now I can't remember the word 'helmet' and I can't trust myself to do my damn job without fucking it up." Tears popped up around your eyelashes as you spoke. "Do you know how many times I've had Tony come behind me and check my work to make sure I haven't fucked something up so bad that I'd get you all killed? Do you know how many times he's found problems?"

You barked an unamused laugh. "I don't. He doesn't even tell me. He just fixes it and moves on. I don't even know why he hired me."

"Y/n..."

"I'm such a waste here." You stood, quickly, ignoring the glass of water that fell to the ground at your feet. "I'm... you... I... fuck. Why is my foot wet?" You looked down, seeing the overturned glass. "Damn it!"

"Hey, just sit back down. I'll get a towel." Clint said, softly, without an ounce of pity.

You knew that most of the others at the party, the non-Avengers and non-SHIELD agents, they would likely assume that you were just drunk, as you cried while Clint dried your foot off. Natasha, however, knew that wasn't the case. Her hands went to work as soon as Clint looked up at her. *She okay?*

Clint looked at you as you wiped at your cheeks. *She overwhelmed.* He stood and looked down at you. "You all right?"

You looked up at him and nodded, slightly. "Sorry to unload on you like that."

"Don't apologize." He walked away to stand with Natasha, but he must not have wanted anyone to listen in to their conversation because he started to sign to her. *She wants to be herself again.*

Natasha shook her head. *She was in a C-O-M-A for six months, C. She has brain damage. She's lucky to be alive.*

*I know. She knows. Does not make better. She thinks she should not be here.*

Natasha smirked. *Afraid she will leave?*

*N., don't start this again.* Clint turned to walk away but the redhead stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

*You have a thing for her. Why don't you just tell her?*

*She has enough worry. Maybe when she better.*

Natasha gave a pointed look at the archer. *And if she doesn't get better? Spent a month hearing you cry about-*

*I don't cry.*

*You do. All the time. You tell me how pretty she is, how sweet, how smart. I am your best friend, but I can't keep hearing about how much you want to fuck her. Man up.*

Clint looked offended. *Fuck you, N.*

She smirked as she signed. *Will that bring your balls back?*

*Why do I talk to you?*

*No one else knows Sign Language.*

You bit your lip and stood, silently excusing yourself from the party to go to your room. No wonder Clint was so nice to you, he wanted in your pants. Not that you were opposed to that idea, the revelation just couldn't come at a worse time. While you were dumbed down and frustrated, not feeling even seventy percent of your former self... how could you even begin to entertain the thought of sex?

But as you lied in bed, you did entertain the thought of sex with Clint. You entertained the thought of his muscular archer's arms, his blond hair and blue eyes. You thought about those calloused fingertips on your ankle as he dried your foot, imagined how those fingertips would feel on your other, more sensitive places. Your hand slid under the band of your pants and between your legs, fingertips sweeping across your clothed lips for the first time since before you got shot. You gasped at the feeling, trying to move slowly even as you started to get excited.

You didn't realize how much you'd missed this feeling. The heat slowly rising under your skin, blooming between your thighs. You slipped your hand into your panties and brought your middle finger between your lips. "Oh." You breathed out as your finger slid into your entrance. You slid it out, pulling your hand up to circle your newly-wet finger around your clit. You started to repeat the action over and over, adding your first finger to the middle one. It didn't take long for you to throw out the plan of moving slowly, rubbing furiously at your bundle of nerves. "Fuck!" You moaned out as your body exploded with your first orgasm in years. "My god." You panted.

You sat up, pulling your hand from your pants and looking around the room. "You know what..." You whispered to yourself, before stomping out of your room and back into the party. You zeroed in on Clint and walked up to him with a confidence that you'd only been faking since you woke up. "Hey."

"Hey, y/n." He looked down at you from his spot on the balcony, his feet hanging over the railing. "You feelin' better?" He shouted over the music.

"It's a little louder than-"

"What?!"

You chuckled and raised your hands. *It loud here.* You signed at him.

Clint's eyes widened. *You sign?* He scrambled to his feet and hopped over the railing to land at your feet.

"When I woke up, I couldn't talk. I had damage to my vocal cords from the intubation, so I had to learn ASL. The simplified, non-verbal communication fit really well with my capacity at the time... and it was interesting, learning different dialects of ASL. Like, did you know that there are three or four different ways to sign the word 'fellatio'?"

Clint's mouth made a surprised 'o'. "Uh. I mean... yeah. They're all pretty much pantomiming the act. There's only one for... you know, for women. Why didn't you tell me that you could sign?"

"You don't use it very often. I never use it, anymore."

"But, I do use it. Nat and I use it for coded communication."

"I know." You smirked up at him. "It's kinda cute for you guys to stand there, having these conversations that you think are secret. She's pretty affectionate when she thinks no one can hear her. Until you frustrate her, of course."

"Frustrate her?"

"Yeah. Then she tells you to 'man up'."

His eyes went wide and you kinda loved the amount of light shining in the bright blues. "You saw that?"

You shrugged. "I've got brain damage, not eye damage. You were literally twenty feet away."

"Yeah, speaking of... you seem really-"

"I went and rested and thought about things and got my brain situated and decided that I'm not gonna let you use my damage as an excuse for your cowardice."

"My what?"

"Laziness more accurate?" You asked, smirking.

"Hey, whoa. That's kinda rude, y/n."

"Clint. Seriously. I'm saying I'm interested. Do you need to adjust your hearing aids? Or should I sign it?" You made a 'V' with each of your hands and tapped them together, then pointed at yourself. *Fuck me.*

"Are you drunk?"

"No. You know I haven't had a drop."

"Then this is some of that poor judgment shit that comes with the-"

"Why would it be poor judgment, Clint?"

"Because I'm me. You know me. I'm not worth-"

"Oh, my god, dude! I thought I had self-worth issues but you are ridiculous." You grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. His hands immediately grabbed your hips, pulling you closer to him as you opened your mouth and licked his lips. You let go of his shirt and wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing your body against his and forcing his hands to slide back to your ass.

"About damn time!" Tony yelled across the room as he started toward you. He was drunk. Tony usually was by this point of the party. "We've all been waiting for you to make a move since I hired her, Barton."

You both pulled out of the kiss to look at the billionaire but didn't give up your embrace, holding onto each other as your teammates surrounded you. "He didn't move." Steve said, taking a drink of beer.

"She did?" Tony asked. "Wow. You know, I expected better of you, y/n/n. Out of all of the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in this building, you pick that one?"

You chuckled. "Let's just chalk it up to the brain damage putting me on Barton's level and leave it at that."

"Hey. Rude." Clint responded, slapping his hand across your ass. You jumped and giggled. "Anyway, Stark, if you were that invested in me making a move, why didn't you say something?"

"Pepper told me not to."

"We all did." Steve said, smiling. "Because it's less his business than it is Natasha's."

"He complained to me about it for a month. It's my business." Natasha said.

"You know this asshole was using my TBI as an excuse not to step up? Who does that?"

"Someone who knows he's a stress magnet and wanted you to get well before he added shit to your manure pile?" Barton answered.

"You think I can't take your stress? I survive every day with the knowledge that I'm never gonna be who I was before Hydra got a hold of me. I can handle you, arrow guy."

"Yeah, we'll see." He pulled out of the embrace and smirked. *My bedroom or your bedroom?*

"Mine. Duh." You pulled him toward the elevators. "You know, I've seen your medical file, Hawkeye. A few more concussions and you'll be just as brain-fucked as I am."

"So, I got, what, two weeks?" He joked, tapping the 4 button on the elevator.

"If you're lucky." You smirked at him as the doors slid shut.

"You sure you wanna do this, y/n?"

"Clint." You shook your head. "Hydra has taken so much from me. My brain, my career, my friends, they've taken three years of what should've been an active and acrobatic sex life. They're not taking any more. Fuck me, dude. I'm not a glass doll."

"All right, but if I break you, the only one you have to blame is yourself."

"Your dick's not that big, Clint."

"You haven't even seen it, yet!" He said, offended.

"You wear a tight leather suit on missions and tight jeans at parties. I'm more aware than you think."

"Maybe I'm a grower. Ever think of that?"

"Every guy's a grower, Barton. That's basic male anatomy."

"Yeah, but some guys grow bigger, like exponentially, than other guys."

You rolled your eyes. "Clint. I want it no matter the size, okay? You don't need to be all defensive. I haven't been laid since two weeks before I got shot. I'm not looking for some monster-"

"Look." He grabbed your hands and pulled you closer to him. "I'm not trying to be some compensating asshole here." He placed your hands on the bulge in the front of his jeans and you ran your fingers across an erection that was a lot bigger than it always seemed in his super suit.

"Oh. Well... still don't think it's gonna break me, but let's get to bed and let's see."

"That sounds like a challenge, babe."

"Are you calling me a pig or a child because either would be weird considering how hard you are for me right now?" You squeezed him through his jeans and he grunted.

"Woman. I meant 'woman'. Hot, sexy, super-genius... fuck, FRIDAY, how long's it take to get to the fourth floor?"

"It takes exactly forty-five seconds to get from the ground floor to the support staff housing on the fourth floor, Mr. Barton, assuming there are no stops on the floors between. However, I was instructed by Mr. Stark to run the elevators on their slowest setting. He said we needed to allow Miss y/l/n time to come to her senses." The Irish-accented AI explained over the unseen speakers.

"What a prick." You laughed. You shrugged. "All right, then. He wants us to spend our time in the elevator? Boss' orders. Hey, FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Miss y/l/n?"

"I think we're gonna need you to hold this elevator right where it is. Do not open the door for anyone except us. And, FRIDAY? It's 'Doctor y/l/n'."

"Yes, Doctor y/l/n."

You turned back to Clint and moved your hand from his bulge to his belt, flicking it open and going to work on his button and zipper. He looked down at you with wide eyes. "Are we really gonna do this here? I-I mean, I'm cool with it, it's just... you've never really seemed like the 'Love in an Elevator' kinda chick."

"It's a completely enclosed space, Clint. No windows. No one around. This is nothing. I once had a quickie in the elevator at the Triskellion."

"The one on the outside of the building?"

You nodded. "With all those windows, yeah." You hooked your fingers in his waistband and pulled his jeans and tight briefs down to pool over his black boots. "Wow." You raised your eyebrow as you wrapped your hand around his dick and ran your hand from the base to the tip. "Your tighty-whiteys are the reason you don't show, Barton."

"Those are black." He ground out through clenched teeth.

"Whatever. I've got brain damage, you're gonna mess with me about a damn color?" You didn't give him an opportunity to respond, licking the tip of his cock and letting your tongue slide along the underside.

"Fuck, y/n." He grunted, throwing his head back to thud against the shiny metal of the elevator paneling as you started bob back and forth on his dick. He moved to grip the railing tightly, his knuckles going white as his breathing picked up, heavy and hard. "You are... You are so good at that."

You pulled back and stood, leaving his dick wet and ready for release. "Thanks. You any good at it?"

"What is with you challenging me tonight?" He asked, annoyed as he pushed you against the opposite wall. He dropped to his knees and pulled your jeans and panties to your feet. "You're the one who hasn't done this in a bajillion years." He knocked your knees open wider and dove in, tongue first, licking his wide tongue at your clit as the thick middle finger of his left hand slid into your entrance.

You had to hold onto the railing to keep from falling over as he assaulted you with his tongue and fingers, sliding another in to join his middle finger and pumping them hard and fast, curling them every other time they were fully inside of you. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered, licking his fingers as he stood and grabbed your shoulders, turning you around and bending you over. "Spend the last half hour challenging me and bein' a bitch. I'll fuck you. Fuck you 'til you can't move."

You slapped the wall of the elevator, your head hanging as the thick head of his cock pressed into your entrance. He pressed in slowly, pulling a moan out of you which turned into a whine as he grabbed your hips and pushed in the rest of the way with one hard thrust. "Fuck, Clint."

"You know, I didn't know you were such a dirty fucking whore. Making me fuck you from behind in the elevator, when anyone could see us on the cameras."

"Didn't make you do shit." You groaned. "You just rose to the challenge, arrow guy."

He snapped his hips forward several times, causing your head to drop forward. "Doesn't matter. You're dirty as hell and I fuckin' love it!" He muttered behind you. "Come off so sweet and perfect, but you aren't. Fuck, y/n."

"Reserved ain't the same as sweet. And fuck, Clint, harder."

"Sure thing." He said, tightening the grip he had on your hips and starting to pull you back against him with every thrust of his hips. The sounds of skin slapping against each other and the squelching sound of wetness filled the elevator, barely overshadowed by staccato moans and grunts. "Shit. I... y/n, shit." Clint groaned, moving his left hand to your shoulder and his right hand to sweep across your clit, urgently.

"Don't cum in me. Don't you dare-"

"Shut up!" He growled, his thrusts beginning to stutter. He took a deep breath, his fingers rolling your clit. "I won't, just fuckin'- Just cum already so I can."

"Such a gentleman. Letting the lady go first." He pinched your clit lightly and you moaned as your climax rolled across you. Clint gave two more pumps of his dick into you and then pulled out. You dropped to your knees and wrapped your lips around his cock, enjoying the twitching of the muscle as he filled your mouth with cum.

As you swallowed and licked your lips, you looked up at him as he panted, looking down at you with blown-out blue eyes. "You know... I don't think you're a lady." He chuckled, reaching down to correct his clothes.

You smirked as you stood, taking your pants and panties up to your waist as you did. "I'm okay with that. You?"

"Eh. Who wants a lady?" *I'd rather have a dirty whore.* He signed with a smirk.

"Well, you've apparently got one." You licked your lips and took a deep breath. "FRIDAY, take us to floor four, please."

"Yes, Dr. y/l/n."

*Dirty whore not done yet.* You signed, before leaning up and pressing your lips to his. Clint smirked, following you out as the elevator doors opened. No, you were not done by a long shot.