#anyways i love steve and the gold blood means something that i don’t have the energy to type out

[unspecifiedfigure]

You are trapped inside you, and wherever you go, there you are.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - March 12th

 Hello and welcome to this week’s recs! Lots of little fics this week--I’ve had a very short attention span and short little snatches of time. Anyway--enjoy and be sure to leave a comment/kudo for your fic authors! 

~*~ 

Oh Hey There by royal_chandler

Because it's just not college if your room hasn’t been the inadvertent destination spot of at least one intoxicated person.

Dare I Say Forever? by royal_chandler

Naive and young, Steve had thought about it. He’d allowed himself to dream of post-war, matching gold bands and a white picket fence penning in a rambunctious pair of children.

However, there’s no such thing as post-war.

Lose My Weary Mind by royal_chandler

It's not right. It's not right. But neither is his life without Steve.

Time Machine by ashes0909, HogwartsToAlexandria, Juulna, peppypear, royal_chandler

“You know, when I mentioned needing a time machine to fix the ills of my life last week, I didn’t mean it literally, Tony,” Steve sighed, albeit fondly.

Or: A night not unlike so many others.

Written for the Put On The Suit Discord Server Relay

In Our Bedroom, After the War by royal_chandler

It’s not to say that Steve had ever anticipated the culling of half the universe or its aftermath. No, that’s well beyond the edges of any damnation he could have imagined. However, when he touches himself in the new world and can’t find completion, he’s stolen by surprise, and then anger, that this too has been taken away.

Transient by royal_chandler 

There’s a 1A classification sitting on Steve’s bureau in his bedroom and he’s been so sick in his life, sick of many things; he’d like to no longer be sick of not having sex.

I and Love and You by royal_chandler

Tony should really no longer be surprised by how right Steve gets it. Even though he’s not really meant to add anything to this discussion he’s overhearing, he’s left speechless. He’s entirely overwhelmed by how much he loves this man. He loves them both so much it hurts, makes his eyes water.

Took All the Trees (And Put ’em in a Tree Museum) by youcancallmearrow 

Steve's homesick for the past and Tony can't cope with the present. Moving on is easier when you aren't doing it alone.

Featuring: Steve's super-secret weakness, the best cheeseburgers in America, and an awful lot of elevator scenes for a one-shot!

Trusting You with Lovin' Me by ralsbecket

“There’s a… neighborhood thing, later,” Tony said, waving a hand with clinking keys. “Trick-or-treating. Why don’t you come with us?” It was neutral ground. An open invitation. I trust you. I want you to meet my daughter hung softly in the air.

Charcoal Dust in My Eyes by betheflame, Nixie_DeAngel

Dr. Tony Stark teaches engineering at Stonybrook University, so he assumed his son would attend there. Instead, Peter chooses nearby Fallwell State and gets assigned Art Professor Steve Rogers as an interdisciplinary advisor.

If that wasn't annoying enough, Rogers' best friend Bucky happens to be the guy who Tony and his best friend Pepper have a bit of a history with and NO ONE holds a grudge like Tony Stark.

But then... Pepper tells him to stand down and so does Peter and what if Bucky isn't the enemy... does that mean he can do something about this crush on Steve?

Shaped for Action by royal_chandler

Tony buys a Camaro for an American classic.

You're In My Blood (Like Holy Wine) by royal_chandler

Being with a hooker was supposed to be easy but Tony gets more than he bargained for.

5 times tony indulges steve's strength kink + 1 time he doesn't mean to by meidui

Steve really appreciates how strong Tony is.

nobody saves me, baby (the way you do) by Capstiddies, meidui

“You’re a firefighter.”

“You’re—half naked.”

-

Steve fights fires and rescues kittens for a living these days because of course he does; of course that man doesn’t know how to properly retire. So now Steve has his firefighting career and Tony has a new complication in his long, winding relationship with Steve after parting ways without so much as a handshake.

Half True and All Stupid by royal_chandler

What it says on the tin. Tony bought Peter Netflix, and oh god why.

felt with your two hands by ishipallthings

Steve lets out an exasperated huff. “It’s just, I can’t shave.” It’s such a small thing to be upset about, and yet here he is, fighting the urge to tear his bandages just to look clean-shaven again.

One glance at Tony shows that he’s surprised by Steve’s admission, eyes now fixed on the days-old scruff covering the bottom half of Steve’s face.

(In which Tony helps Steve with shaving, and the close proximity leads to so much more than either of them anticipated.)

daynight, daylight by ishipallthings

When it happens, it feels completely unexpected and yet inevitable at the same time.

(A cool summer night, an accidental kiss, and a realization years in the making.)

Seeking Companionship by AvengersNewB 

The story of someone putting a personal ad in the newspaper, hoping to find a kind companion, who finds much more; everything he always wanted but never knew he could have - told all in letters.

----

I’m a man in my 30s, looking to be heard, to be understood, before being judged. If you’re a man with a big heart, and some time to listen, I’m looking for you and I promise to listen and understand in return - only non-drinkers. Write to PO 721.

Stained Glass by tourdefierce

Tony Stark was called a lot of things, but tender wasn't one of them. Too bad his super-hero boyfriend disagreed.

The Worst You Can Do Is Harm by theladyingrey42

So what if Tony Stark has a folder of pictures JARVIS recognizes alternately as Project Rebirth (when Tony's sober), Project Hero Worship (when he's tipsy), and Project Spank Bank (when he's drunk)? No big deal. Unless Loki destroys Avengers Mansion and Hawkeye ends up finding the damn pictures and showing them to Steve. And if there's maybe a teeny-tiny misunderstanding about why precisely Tony has them.

In which Loki is a dick, Thor is the bestest drinking buddy ever, and Tony has a hard time saying what he means.

We Are Briefly Gorgeous by KandiSheek

Tony finds himself in a gay bar right after signing his divorce papers, drowning his sorrows. Turns out the handsome stranger that chats him up is just the distraction he needs.

The Plainest Words Are The Finest by theladyingrey42

In which Tony Stark never ever, ever says what he means.

Except when he does.

[dontfeeltoohot]

Enjoy 2.5k of soft YTAU Steddie at a pumpkin patch. City boys and farms don't mix well.

X X X

“We should go to a farm or something, for pumpkins and cider and stuff,” Steve says over dinner in the middle of October. 

Eddie looks up from where he’s stabbing at a piece of chicken and smiles, body warming. His boyfriend likes to keep things interesting, and it’s not a secret they both love participating in Autumn activities. They need to get pumpkins soon anyway, and going to a farm could be fun, though he’s never been. 

“Hell yeah,” the artist nods, reaching over to squeeze the man’s hand. “Have you ever been to one? I can confidently say I haven’t. Not many farms in Chicago.” 

Steve grins at him and nods, squeezing Eddie’s hand back before swallowing a bite of broccoli. He thinks he could watch the younger man eat all day, as weird as it sounds. It’s cute, the way Steve looks and tries to decide what piece of broccoli he wants before getting it, unlike himself, who just snags the closest one. 

“I’ve been going basically every year with the kids,” his boyfriend admits, even though said ‘kids’ are now in their early twenties. 

“God you’re adorable,” the long haired man smiles, feeling like he just wants to hug Steve right all day long. “So is it like all those cliche pumpkin patches you see in movies? With like hay rides and corn mazes and stuff?” 

“Pretty much. Hawkins may be a small town, but it does festivals and fairs pretty well,” Steve confirms. 

“Ooh, this’ll be fun.” 

“Mhm! They have cider and a little store usually. They’ll do fun stuff for little kids like face painting and slides.” 

As they finish eating, Eddie thinks about how Hawkins is compared to Chicago, how out here it’s calmer and more down to earth. There isn’t as much violence or noise, and the weather change is gradual and pretty. The trees near his apartment (and really everywhere) have turned gold and red which makes the tattoo artist stupidly happy- nomore heat or blinding sun or bugs. 

They do the dishes together, something that’s ridiculously domestic and makes both of the men blush when they stumble over each other or realize how nice it all is. Steve rinses everything off, then hands it to Eddie, who puts it in the dishwasher, particular about how things go. Steve has his little things too, like how he has to make his bed every morning even if he stays at Eddie’s and the guitarist is still in it. 

“So Tumblr has decided my pathetic city-raised body is going to be no match for the farm,” the man sighs dramatically as they lay on the couch, curled up together. 

Steve chuckles and his lips quirk up, playing with Eddie’s hands as ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ plays in the background. 

“Yeah? I mean maybe they have a point. Have you ever even been around hay or horses or anything else of that nature in your life?” 

Has he? He and Wayne always got their pumpkins at the dinky little pumpkin lot that was just already picked pumpkins sitting on grass next to the park. He’d loved it all the same though, especially the first few years he’d lived with his mom's brother. Wracking his brain, the twenty eight year old finally looks at his boyfriend. 

“…I don’t think so. But! My body has a great immune system! And it’s not like I’m allergic to all things outdoors, I’m just allergic to all the mold and shit in Autumn,” Eddie grumbles, though he’s not actually upset. 

“What you’re saying is that I better put extra tissues in my pocket tomorrow?” Steve grins, and Eddie shoves him playfully. 

“They’ll be for you. Don’t farms usually have cats?” 

“And dogs.” That one makes Eddie’s smile drop but he rights it quickly. “Plus I go every year, I know it doesn’t bother me.” 

“I’ll be fine Stevie, don’t you worry your cute little head.” 

Eddie is decidedly not fine, as they walk around the large open area. It starts about twenty minutes in, after he’s breathed in enough hay and dust and animal dander to finally settle in his head and trigger his histamine response. The artist is determined to have a good day. He’s already taken his allergy pill like usual, but it seems it’s going to do nothing for him as he sniffles, right hand fingers laced in Steve’s left. 

“You okay Eds?” Steve asks, watching him curiously, eyes sparkling. 

“Y-snf! Yeah, I’m good! So we have our drinks, what’s up next?” He asks, rubbing his nose on his left wrist, hand holding a styrofoam cup of hot apple cider. 

He tries to remember he’s going to need to watch what he eats carefully the rest of the day, with all the sugar there’s bound to be in the drink. 

“Thought we could look around the store, maybe look at all the cute animals,” Steve beams and god he’s so damn adorable all relaxed like this. 

“Sounds like a plan, Stan,” Eddie swings their hands as he’s led to the log cabin-esque building that holds jams and honey sticks and other food items, along with little toys for kids. 

As they browse, the long haired man finds a hand carved slingshot. He brings it to Steve, who’s looking at a jar of strawberry jam. There’s a very thin coating of dust on the tables, barely noticeable, but Eddie notices. His eyes are starting to get itchy, and he blinks hard to try and get the slight watery feeling to go away. 

“Found a cool slingshot.” 

“What are you, five?” Steve teases him lightheartedly, looking at the weapon. “Pretty cool though. You going to get it?” 

“Nah. Would end up in a drawer somewhere forever,” he shrugs and looks at the jar. “That looks yummy.” 

“Yeah I think Robin will like it. I might steal some too,” Steve says thoughtfully. 

Unable to help himself, Eddie presses a kiss to his boyfriends lips, pulling away with a grin. 

“What was that for?” 

“You’re just too cute for your own good Harrington.” 

As they walk back outside, Steve runs to put the bag containing the jam in the car. While he’s gone, Eddie pulls a tissue out of his pocket and blows his nose, grimacing when it’s more productive than he’s expecting.  It knocks loose more congestion, and his nose twitches, sensitive from all the allergens around him. 

“ihGKtSHew! ihKSHHUHew! iiKhCHew!” 

“Bless you,” Steve says, coming up next to him. 

“Thanks,” Eddie presses close and sniffles, rubbing his nose again. 

“You good? Your allergies aren’t bothering you are they?” The smirk on the ex swim captains face tells Eddie he knows they are, and that he was right- Tumblr was right. And that’s absolutely not going to fly with him. 

“Nope! Just a random tickle,” Eddie smiles and leads Steve through a small crowd, towards the sectioned off area that has a bunch of small goats, pigs, and baby cows. 

“They’re so cute,” Steve watches the goats as they’re instructed to come in so they can pet them. 

You’re cute, Eddie thinks, watching the man bend down to rub the brown goat's head. He looks amazing in his dark washed jeans and tight fitting sweater, a Ralph Lauren quarter zip keeping him warm. His hair is styled perfectly as always, and the very slight wind leaves Steve’s cheeks just barely pink. 

Leaning down to pet another goat, Eddie sniffles and rubs his face quickly on the shoulder of his own black sweatshirt, though it doesn’t really help the tickle that’s in his head. The two men stay with the small barn animals for ten or so minutes before realizing they should let others get a chance too. Stepping back out, Steve brushes his sweater off, seemingly unaware of the fur and dust he’s just moved off onto Eddie. 

Nostrils twitching, runny from both the slight chill in the air and his allergies, the artist sniffles twice, then rubs his nose on his wrist, attempting to control the overwhelming tickle. When that doesn’t help, he rubs it against, this time longer, dragging his damn nose tight against the outside of his hand. 

“Pumpkin patch?” Steve asks, tone excited and almost childlike. Eddie melts. 

“Sure St-snf! Stevie.” 

They find their way to the large tractor that they can board to get them to the pumpkin patch section. As the men sit, Eddie tries not to breathe for a moment, as particles of dust from the hay billow up into his face. His eyes feel a little gritty and he wipes at the barely there wetness under them, sniffling. Steve’s watching him with big eyes, and though he wants to indulge his boyfriend, he wants to prove to him he can be a small town guy more. 

As he and Steve look around, other people board as well, and soon they’re all sitting knee to knee, and the tractor starts rumbling. Nostrils twitching, Eddie leans his elbows on his thighs, turning to watch Steve. He presses the cuff of his sweatshirt to his nose, trying to rub the tickle away subtly. It doesn’t help, not even close. If anything, it worsens the sensation ten fold, and he curls away from the woman next to him, leaning against Steve, cuff still pressed tight to his nose. 

“nGKT! ihGKt! Snfsnfsnf! iiGnKTew! Guh…” 

Steve licks his lips, watching. Eddie looks up and sniffles, and as he pulls his sleeve away, both can see it’s damp, just as damp as his nose. Before he can do much else, his eyes are fluttering again, the itch still swirling in his sinuses from stifling. 

“iiHGkTSCHew! hih’iGSH’uhEW! eh’KTschh’EW!” 

Not having time to do much else, Eddie presses his face into Steve’s shoulder, but he doesn’t pull away, instead he rubs his face on the soft material, allergic tears spilling onto his face. 

“ihGKshhEW! hah’KTSCHew! ahikSHH’uhew!” 

A few ‘bless you’s’ from others around them make Eddie cringe. Steve blessing him is one thing. Others, not so much. The ride into the patch is bumpy and the long haired man keeps as close to his boyfriend as possible before remembering he has tissues. Yanking them out of his pocket, he presses them tight to his nose, rubbing at it, pinching his nostrils and jiggling his septum, trying to get at the intense itch that’s consuming his head. 

“hihKShhEW! ah’IGkSHhEW! hih-IkshhEW! Oh mby god,” Eddie blows his nose. 

Steve’s still watching, but he looks torn between arousal and sympathy. Eddie starts rubbing at his right eye, both watering enough he genuinely looks like he’s crying, cheeks splotchy. Everyone hops off of the tractor when it stops in the field, and Eddie tilts his head back slightly, giving Steve a perfect view of his irritated, pink nostrils, quivering in allergic anticipation.  

“Sneeze baby, I got you,” Steve murmurs, pulling him off of the wood and hay, then wrapping an arm around him. 

“ahIKShhEW! ihGKshEW! F-snfSNF! Fuck…-ikshhuhew!” 

“Bless you baby, we’ll make this quick ok?” Steve looks at him from where he’s got his tissue pressed against his nose again, hand now rubbing his left eye. 

“Sou’ds good, I’mb okay Stevie,” Eddie promises, but he’s honestly not sure he is. 

This doesn’t feel like dust allergies or even dog allergies. This is an entirely different level of allergic hell he’s never experienced. It’s like fluff is rubbing against his nose, like it’s in his sinuses, teasing him. His eyes are truthfully too watery and itchy to really be able to help Steve pick a pumpkin, but he goes along with it anyway, judging his boyfriend’s picks even if they’re blurry. 

Steve keeps him close, and Eddie doesn’t mind. He thinks maybe the twenty seven year old is worried, with the amount of soft touches and hesitant looks he keeps getting. He doesn’t think there’s necessarily anything for Steve to worry about until they’re heading back to the main area, and the tattoo artist starts coughing. 

It’s low and chesty, and even when he stops, Eddie finds he’s having a hard time catching a full breath 

Not wanting to freak Steve out, he sniffles soupily and sits back up straight, giving him a smile. He must look wrecked, because a guy next to him gives him a sympathetic smile too. Pumpkin in his lap, Eddie rests an elbow on its top and starts rubbing his eyes again. 

“Eddie, honey, you gotta stop rubbing. It’ll just make it worse, your hands are covered in all the dust and stuff,” Steve tries to be logical but the other man doesn’t want logic, he wants relief. 

“They’re itchy.” 

“I know, but-“ 

“ihHgkSCH’ew! snfsnf! iigkTSHhuhEW! SNF! hh! h’IHkSHew!” 

“Bless you,” Steve runs a hand through his boyfriend's hair. 

“snggf! Fuckin’ hell,” Eddie grabs his last tissue and blows his nose quietly, coughing after. 

Maybe he’s not entirely cut out for farms, he decides, once he slides into Steve’s passenger seat, pumpkins sitting in the trunk. The younger man rifles through his middle console and pulls out napkins, then grabs the water bottle he brought. Leaning out of the parked cars door, Steve douses the napkin in water, wrings it out, then hands it to Eddie, who raises an eyebrow. 

“Wipe your face off babe.” 

Oh. 

“Damn Harri’gto’d, we’re you a Boy Scout?” Eddie does as he’s told, wiping his face and neck down, coughing again. His chest feels oddly tight. 

“Eds, hey, look at me.” 

His eyes snap up to Steve’s, who are bright with worry. 

“You sound awful. Are you breathing ok?” 

“I thi’gk so? My chest is a little tigh’d a’d I feel like shit, but I’mb okay Stevie.” 

Though he doesn’t look fully convinced, Steve buckles up and starts driving. Only half paying attention, Eddie realizes they’re at Steve’s once the doors of the Beamer are being unlocked. 

“Brought you here, we can shower and then get you in clean clothes and I’ll put ours into wash. I don’t even wanna step into your apartment with this shit.” 

Half an hour later, they’re stepping out of the shower, Eddie groggy and head feeling like it’s filled with concrete. The shower’s definitely helped, he doesn’t feel like he wants to claw his face off anymore, his eyes aren’t watering as bad either. 

“So…you wanna tell Tumblr or should I?” Steve teases, and Eddie groans dramatically, which earns him a quick kiss. 

“I will. They’re all gonna be so smug.” Eddie slips on some of Steve’s sweatpants, tying them tight. 

“Tell’em you started having breathing issues. That’ll make’em feel bad for you.” 

They end up on the couch, Eddie half awake after a slightly more than recommended dose of Benadryl, and Steve playing with his hair. 

“They’re smug,” the artist grumbles, putting his phone down. “Called it.” 

“They just wanna tease you, mister ‘I’ll be able to handle it’.” 

Another kiss. 

“Ngh, fuck all of you for being right.” 

“Gladly Eddie, just tell me when and where.” 

“Menace.” 

Steve laughs, pulling Eddie closer, who melts against him. 

“I had a fun time, even if I did feel like shit.” 

“If we ever do that again, now we know to dose you up, at least,” Steve nuzzles his cheek. 

“Was gonna suggest doing it with Chrissy when she comes down, but honestly it’ll probably set her off too.” 

“No one’s allowed to be miserable for your birthday weekend. So no pumpkin patches,” Steve says, lacing their fingers together. 

“Yeah. We can just get them from the store to do with her.” 

“Sounds like a plan baby.” 

[allandoflimbo]

Ashens (Part 22)

Summary: She falls in love with Bucky Barnes from the moment she sees him. Bucky, still in love with a woman from his past, hates Y/N and plans to make her life miserable. To both their dismay, they are assigned together to go undercover into The Capitol for six months. There, they develop a heartbreaking friend with benefits agreement. Dystopian.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 3,600

Rating: M for Mature, E for explicit. Enemies to lovers trope, sharing a bed trope, friends with benefits trope, temporarily unrequited love, heavy and angry sex, heavy on the angst, and very strong language.

Full Masterpage |

He’s been gone all morning. You don’t know where he went and you didn’t ask before he left. Whatever it was, you weren’t too concerned, anyway. It was about time you two had some space. It helped clear your mind and helped you move on. You were moving on.

There was another reason you were thankful he had left for the morning. You could feel the chills run up the sides of your arms, goosebumps appearing where your skin was once smooth.

You eyed the closet doors curiously. It was almost eerie how quiet it was around you. You dropped your eyes for only a moment before raising them up again.

You had to do this. You were going to do this.

You finally gather the balls to do something you’ve been wanting to for some time now. It had been eating away at you like mad.

Once in front of the closet, you crouch down. You raise your left hand slowly roll the doors open, your eyes immediately dart down to the little black box on the ground. Exactly where he’d left it.

Part of you was happy that it remained untouched.

Per Steve’s orders, you had both buried any of your weaponry about a mile before reaching the wall nearly three months ago. You weren’t supposed to be bring any inside with you. It was forbidden.

It had shocked you when you and Bucky had been arguing about going after Ashen and he had pulled out a G19, angrily strapping it onto his leg to prove a point. He obviously snuck it in. At the time, you hadn’t really given it much thought. You were more shocked that he ignored his best friend’s request.

Now, it concerned you for different reasons.

You sat criss cross in front of the box, staring at it for a few more long seconds. Taking in a deep breath, you opened it. It opened with a small click.

There it was.

Matte black. Subtle but deadly.

You eyed the gun like it was a ticking bomb. You’ve never held a fire arm before, but that wasn’t necessarily why you were nervous. You were nervous to know why the hell he had it stacked away in your bedroom when you knew he didn’t even have the intention of killing anyone on this mission. He made sure to make you aware of this, many times.

You also knew it wasn’t to be used on you. There was no way.

The only other plausible reason he had it, kept you on edge.

You didn’t want your thoughts going there.

You reached slowly for the gun until you felt it lay heavy in your right hand. It was heavier than it looked. It felt deadlier than it looked.

You swallowed thickly, allowing yourself to think the worst.

Was he going to use this on himself?

You suddenly wanted it as far away from you as possible.

Your hand trembled slightly as you put it back in its place, letting your fingers linger on the ridges for just a moment.

You let out a long breath realizing.

When you had eyed the closet, you didn’t really think it through.

What were you going to do once you had it in your hands? Were you going to get the gun and hide it? Were you just curious? Was there something about it that secretly terrified you and you weren’t going to believe you really saw him hold it until you held it yourself?

You shake your head, pushing the box back into its original place. You were over exaggerating.

He probably just brought it in case you both needed it for self protection.

You looked over at your black back pack right next to it and pulled it out.

You fished inside, looking at different things you forgot you still had. You had your grey sweater, scarf, and beat up boots at the bottom. It smelled dusty.

You stuck your hand into the front pocket of the backpack, pulling out a note. It wasn’t your first time reading it, but you need the gentle reminder.

Thank you again for doing this. Thank you for helping me out and for agreeing to our plan to help Bucky be happy again. We can do this together. That plan, to me, is the most important thing right now. Thank you for doing whatever it takes to mentally convince him he deserves happiness. What you’re doing means the world to me, y/n. See you both again very soon. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.

Steve

You felt small tears in your eyes at your promise. If only he knew how it wasn’t so easy. You closed your eyes tightly together, took a deep breath, and placed the note onto your chest.

I’ll keep trying.

+ +

You didn’t understand these jobs that came with your ID. You didn’t understand most of what you were being told to do, but you did it anyway.

At the end of the day, your number one plan was to still kill Ashen. So you went through with what Bucky ordered you to do until it was time.

Your first day at the tower started off better than how you thought it would. Mr. Hyde was a old gentleman in his late 50s. He had short white hair and a nicely trimmed white beard to compliment it. He knew you were learning and that this would be your first time working up to a secretary job, so he started you off with small assistant duties like transporting paper work around the building, scheduling, and grabbing anything personal he may need here and there.

The best part was when he gave you a tour of the building, the whole reason you even were excited about it. Maybe this was why this was written into the mission.

He explained to you what each floor was but never took you past floor 15. You eyed the buttons on the elevator suspiciously.

He said that wasn’t their area and that “we didn’t need to worry about it”. You needed a special code to access those floors anyway.

You quickly made a connection. You wondered how Bucky had gotten in the other day.

The atmosphere in the elevator went cold when you stopped somewhere on the seventh floor and a man dressed in black and gold walked in. It was a fitted suit, expensive looking, and he had a cold look in his eyes. You swallowed thickly, looking away from him. You pulled your scarf tighter around your neck, trying to conceal your tattoo as much as you could.

Something about this man was off.

You heard the term Coroner a lot when you worked serving drinks. They weren’t the coroner most people knew, they were cop meets bounty hunter.

There was just something about them that left you uneasy. He stood in front of you and you felt yourself shuffle back a few inches. You looked over at Mr. Hyde and he gave you a small smile.

You smiled back.

+ +

It wasn’t until your fourth day at the building when things finally took a turn.

Bucky was going to meet you at a stairwell for floor eleven. He was going to trace Silas down once and for all. The night after the ball, Bucky was went traced them down to see where they would take the new import. According to what he overheard, there had been some complications and it wouldn’t be administered until today.

You got up from your seat, pretending you were just looking for the restroom, when you turned down the narrow hallway and went for the door that led into the stairwell.

You had three floors to climb up to meet him.

You were on the ninth floor when you turned the corner of the stairs and your heart nearly jumped up into your throat.

His face, his hair, his eyes, and his damn voice.

It all hit you at once and you turned back the direction you came from, leaning back against the steal rods. You put a hand up to your head as you felt dizzy. You could feel your heart beating away like crazy and you felt that anger you harbored down for so long.

It was him. The face from the diner and the face of the man that killed your mom and dad.

Ashen.

And he was with another woman.

“He’s our child and he’s dying!” The woman shouted. You could hear the tears in her voice.

“I know but there’s not much else I can do,” the voice. It was deep and violent. You hated it. You hated him, “He woke up this morning, cured! Without us even giving him the dose of the chemical. It’s obvious his plasma contains some kind of fending off mechanism. It took years, but he obviously survived it and no longer has it.”

You took a deep breath as you processed what you were hearing.

Had the little boy been infected with the virus, but now was doing well?

“And?” The woman insisted.

“And?” An evil laugh came from within Ashen’s chest, “We need all his blood, goddamn it! We need it distributed to our men if we want our side to stay strong once we go out there!”

“You can’t possibly still think—“

“It’s our world —“

“But we are safe here. Our son is safe here!”

“You didn’t think we’d all stay stuck in here for all eternity, did you? Hydra and Sword is to control the world, not the city. These walls kept us safe long enough and our son is well now, and we might have the cure in our hands. It’s all we need to conquer.”

You could hear sniffling.

“You can’t kill our son.” The woman begged.

“No,” he said slowly, “Not yet at least. We need trial periods.”

“Ashen, please-“

“I sacrificed everything for him!” A shriek followed by a gruntled groan came from the woman and you wondered what he was doing to her, “I cut the plan short, of us taking the capitol, because of him! I was minding my own business that night before I got the call. I took the risks, I found the refuge, I found the goods, and I called an initiative, and now look at us, we’re all safe. And our son just also happens to be the possible cure for all of this. If Hydra completing this mission requires my son’s life, so be it.”

“I won’t let you hurt him! I won’t let you pick at him with needles and knives. He is my baby boy!”

“Was, honey, was.” You could hear a loud smack, “And after him, you’re next.”

“What?”

“Now let’s get back in there and congratulate him.”

You could still feel your heart beating away inside of your ears as you heard the shuffling of their feet, followed by the closing of a door.

This was way too much information for you to process. This was too much for you. Suddenly, you cursed Bucky for making you work intel. Intel was the worst part.

You knew this information and now you had to tell him without freaking out, or worst, freaking him out.

It didn’t take much longer for a familiar face to turn the corner of the stairwell.

His blue eyes met yours over his scarf.

“What the hell are you doing here, I said eleventh —-“ his voice faltered as he watched your stricken face. His own eyes fell and he raised a hand to the back of your head and caressed it softly, “Hey, hey, it’s okay. What’s going on?”

“I—“ you whimpered out. Bucky hushed you as he leaned his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes tightly together, “I—he—“

“Breathe. Breathe. Breath for me.”

You took in a deep breath and controlled your breathing.

When you opened your eyes he was staring straight down at you.

“I saw him.” Bucky’s eyes darted over your face, knowing exactly what you were talking about. Who you were talking about, “I saw him.” You repeat again. He nods, “I can’t stay here, Bucky. Not when he’s here. He killed mom and dad, Bucky.” You whimpered into a cry.

“Hey, shhhh,” he brought his hand to your jaw and ran his thumb there gently, “shhh. I’m sorry,” he straightens his head up over yours and places a kiss on the top of your head, “I’m sorry you saw him.”

You ran your hands up his chest and softly pushed him away from you. Bucky’s face fell, along with his hands at his sides. You looked away from him, running the back of your sweater-clothed hand underneath your nose.

You needed to create distance. You and him, whatever it was, was no more.

“I overheard them.”

“Them?”

You sighed, running a hand through your hair.

“Yes, them. Him and what I can only imagine is maybe his wife? I don’t know, it was another woman. The little boy’s mother.”

Bucky took a deep breath.

“Okay, and what did they say?”

“He’s going to kill him. He can potentially save us, save all of us, but instead he’s going to kill him, I—I—“ you were freaking out as your ran both hands down your face.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The boy!” You shouted quietly, pointing to the direction where the stairs continued. “Ashen is after the boy. He’s going to kill the mom and he’s after the boy, too.”

“What? Why? Why is he after his own son?”

You took a deep breath and met Bucky’s gaze again. His jaw was tight and he looked apprehensive.

“They think the cure is in his plasma.” You say slowly and carefully, knowing how much weight the words held.

“The cure?”

“For the virus. The boy’s blood.”

Bucky let out a long breath, running a hand through his own hair now and pulling on it.

“And why does he want the child dead? Does he not want the cure?”

“No, no he does.”

“What? He wants it just for himself?” You whined as you looked away again, “Y/N, you came on this mission for this reason. It’s for you to give me the important information you have right at this moment. Tell me, why does he want the boy dead?”

“He says he wants to make enough just for Hydra and Sword,” Bucky’s face went pale, “I’m assuming it’s because he doesn’t want anyone else after that having access to it. He kills the boy, no more cure for anyone else.”

“That,” his tongue clicks, “That’s absurd. Hydra wants to recruit more bad, not kill off the remaining race. It defeats the purpose of world domination.”

“I think they have a change of plans. They said they want to control the rest of the world.”

“With a raging virus? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. That was all he said before I heard him choking his wife. I don’t know what they plan to do after they go out there, protected. I don’t know.”

“And in that vile? What was in the vile?”

“I don’t know, a trial drug. But nothing as good as the boy’s blood.”

Bucky lets out a long breath as he walks back and forth, clearly stressed and overwhelmed. You watched him, intrigued. You’ve never seen him worry like this before.

“Shit, shit, shit.” he mumbles under his breath, “What do we do? What do we do.”

You stare down at his feet as they continue to move across the floor.

“I think it’s obvious what we need to do.”

“What?”

“We need to take him.” You say seriously, looking Bucky dead in the eye.

“We need to take him.” He says back.

“We can’t let Hydra have access to the cure and let the rest of the world burn and we can’t get him get killed.” You place a hand on Bucky’s arm to stop him and he looks up at you. You could practically see the emotions in his eyes, “He’s just a little boy.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t just go in there and take the kid. I can’t just kidnap someone’s child.”

“Why not?” You ask simply.

Bucky lets out a scoff.

“What?”

“Bucky look at the stakes here. He wants him killed, he’ll build an army to dictate the rest of the world. Bucky we have no other option. This is the end of the world. There is no time for common courtesy.”

“Okay. Okay, just relax. We need to plan this through, okay? So far us two and his parents are the only ones who know about him right?”

“I mean his doctor probably knows too and also the scientist he’s working with. The man who probably sent in those viles.”

“Those viles can be good too, right? We need to take those, too. At least a few. There has to be a reason they brought them in. Maybe they aren’t timely useless. Trial drug or not.”

“So we take the boy, now—”

“We can’t, y/n.” Bucky says strictly. You don’t expect his hand to cup your cheek again. It takes your breath away. Why was he behaving this way? “He said he’ll wait anyway. They probably need to run tests first. We still have two and a half months left in here. If we take him now, they’ll notice he’s gone, and Hydra’s already suspecting there’s intruders inside the wall. It’s too risky. We need to wait,” he runs his hand over your chin and tilts his head slowly to the side. A pained look is in his eyes, “I know you want to, and I want to, too, but we need to do this carefully.”

“So what do you suggest?” Your voice comes out rough.

“I don’t know, maybe we can keep an eye on him or something.” He says. “His father works here, maybe you’ll see him around. Warm up to him. Make sure he’s safe.”

“Ashen knows what I look like.”

Bucky nods.

“I know that. Maybe there’s something we can do. Maybe I can find where he stays in the building. I’ll figure something out. And you’ll be safe, I promise. He won’t see you.”

You believe Bucky’s words and you nod.

“Okay.”

“What do you think? Should we risk him seeing me?” He says with a small smile on his face.

You look at him incredulously.

“Are you dumb?”

“What?” He asks like it’s nothing.

“You’re Captain America’s best fiend. If you really think he wouldn’t recognize you right away and run and tell his dad, you’re insane.”

___

It had been a successful day. It was exhausting and you and Bucky were both clearly burnt out, emotionally and mentally. A lot happened for both of you. You both took a shower, individually of course, you had dinner and you finally got him to watch the first half of Titanic. It was a long night.

But it wasn’t the end of the day yet.

You sat on the bed crisscross and in your PJs, looking out into the city, deep in thought.

Bucky moves over to you and across the bed and you close your eyes tightly together, feeling the bed dip down. You can feel him as he puts his hand on your shoulder.

“We’ll save him, okay? Imagine how much Steve will love us when you come back not only with a life saved, but with the cure.” His words are gentle and sweet, but hold so much weight over you.

You couldn’t do this. You made that promise a few days ago.

“Look, Bucky I don’t think we should do this anymore. Our agreement.” You say quietly, your voice breaking off at the end.

He went still and you felt a cold rush where he began to remove his hand from your skin.

“Oh, I didn’t realize that—“

“Bucky—“

“I didn’t know you weren’t in the mood. I’m sorry.”

“No,” you say quietly and so heartbreakingly slow that you know he can feel it too. Why did it feel this way? “It’s not that.” You slowly turn around to face him. He’s got both arms stretched down on the bed below him, palms down, and he’s staring at you like he was afraid you would hurt him again like you did the other night. You looked away from him and pushed yourself away to give you both more room to breathe

“Sweetheart—“

“I’ve decided to go out with Pietro again,” You watch as his eyes drop from your own to the spot just next to your arm. He swallows hard and there’s a flicker of something in his eyes that isn’t necessarily jealously, “We want to see where it goes. I know we’ll only be here a little while longer, but who knows the future, right? What if I see him again?”

Bucky swallows again and clears his throat.

“It wouldn’t feel right doing that to him.”

“Oh.”

“So, uh,” he straightens himself out until he’s standing, and he pulls his shirt down in a sort of fidgety way you almost find adorable if it weren’t for the heartbroken look in his eyes, “you’re gonna date?”

You tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, feeling a tightness in your chest that you couldn’t bare.

Why did it feel like this?

“Yeah. I deserve someone that will take care of me like that, don’t you think?”

Bucky’s eyes are unreadable at that point. This was what he wanted, right? For you to move on and meet someone better for you?

“You’ll find a guy your age, you don’t want an old thing like me, anyway.”

“You do.” It hurt him to say it. It fucking destroyed him in the goddamn core.

@snakeeatery17 @utterlyhopeful-fics , @marvelfan1017, @iheartsebastianstan , @annathesillyfriend , @redhairedfeistynerd, @perksofbeingabookworm, @amyrose051, @meegggoooo, @morganclaire4 , @captainchrisstan, @bxndys , @shoesonpointe ,  @writerwrites, @rainbowkisses31, @lindatreb , @littlemissner98 , @dezzylou24, @ayeitslelee , @hardygal69 ,  @emmabarnes , @redbarn1995@thequeenreaders@ilovemysupersoldiers@maximumplaidzonknerd@ceapa-mica @s-trawberryv-eins@buckysknifecollections@sobangie@lindatreb@theseuscmander@nervous-plant @wildmoonflower @aya-fay@appreciating-fanfics@kaitlynisinfinite@justreadingfics@kaitieskidmore1 @mrsdancing​ @everythingiloveandcherish @shinykoalacat​ @dragongirl31 @kaitlynisinfinite​ 

[stanknotstark]

Curse Her (No Really)

So that’s the look i imagine is on Loki’s face when he’s like “Can’t know what?” Anyways I had this idea yesterday after thinking about how I grew into an allergy to acrylic. It started off as an idea to grow into an allergy to gold but then i was like NO what if Amora cursed you instead and just ran with it lol Also Uno is totally the Monopoly of card games, I play it with my friends online and there is constant back stabbing and yelling 😂

P.S. I nearly said pus-y but spelled it as pu$$y and just barely caught it holy cow that could have been bad 🤣

Summary: Amora curses you so you can’t wear gold anymore, the metal being Loki’s favorite type of jewelry to gift you and see you wear with pride. You don’t want to tell him because you’re strong and independent and can figure this out without him, right?

In hindsight you should have seen this coming, honestly. 

You sit in the lab with Tony, you on his table, your legs dangling, and Tony in his seat looking over the holoscreen in front of him with a frown. Bruce is out of town being the humanitarian he is so Tony is left with the job of running scans on those who are affected in battle. You’re just lucky Loki joined the team and helped Tony and Bruce make machines that can scan magic. 

“She cast a spell so you can’t wear gold anymore?” Tony says, his frown deepening. “That’s...a stupid curse.” Tony says looking a bit bewildered.

You let out a bitter chuckle. “She’s jealous that Loki is with me and knows that he loves to gift his sweethearts gold jewelry,” You tell the genius with a roll of your eyes. You look at the ground and sigh. “I suppose I should keep this a secret because if Loki finds out he’ll hunt down Amora and attack her. The last thing I want is Amora teasing me for not being able to fight my own fights.” 

“That is a horrible idea,” Tony pips up looking at you sympathetically. “However, as the resident, number one placeholder of bad ideas, I say do exactly that if you’re really that turned off by some teasing.” Tony says, half heartedly trying to convince you to not follow through with this plan but knowing he failed by the pinched look on your face. 

It only takes two days. Two. For Loki to realize you’re not wearing his jewelry. 

You’re lucky he realizes while in the middle of a team bonding activity, card games. 

“Darling, where’s your necklace?” Loki asks lightly as he watches Steve put down a reverse card so instead of being Clint’s turn it’s Tony’s. Clint responds by calling Steve a buttface causing Steve to laugh out of shock.

Your eyes flick over to Tony’s, whose eyes meet yours for a second before you’re both looking at the cards on the floor again. You don’t notice it but Loki definitely noticed the look you both shared but chooses to ignore it.

“I’m letting it soak, it needed to be cleaned and polished.” You easily slip the lie out of your lips. When you look at Loki you’re lucky he isn’t looking at you at first because he can usually read your lies. As he skims his eyes back over to you you let a soft smile slide over your lips to which the god answers with a tilt of his lips. 

When he looks away you swallow, Tony catching your eyes and raising his eyebrows. 

Tell him. Tony’s eyes flash.

Not right now! You push back through your eyes and a small shake of your head.

Tony rolls his eyes and that’s the end of that silent conversation. 

The subject isn’t brought up again until the fourth day. 

You know Loki has definitely caught on to the fact that you stay in Tony’s lab a lot recently but you’re thankful he doesn’t ask questions about it.

“Where are your rings?” Loki outright asks, grabbing your hand and rubbing over your fingers with his thumb, his face in a slight frown as he looks at your bare hands. He notes that you wear silver bangles instead of your usual gold.

You both are getting ready for a press release about Amora’s attack and usually you love to flash your jewelry to the public, as if yelling from the roof tops that Loki is yours when you’re adorned in his colors and gifts. 

“I, uh, lost them,” You mutter out, playing it up and acting ashamed with your flushed cheeks and pulling your hand from Loki’s to hug yourself. “I’m sorry, I’ll find them though.” You bite your lip looking at Loki’s face. The god smiles tenderly and brings his hand up to caress at your jaw. 

“It is fine. I will help you look for them when we have the time.” Loki tells you, his hand falling from your face to grab your hand and lead you from the room. 

You totally miss the disappointed frown that passes over Loki’s face as you pass the dresser in the room and he sees the rings laying there. 

By the sixth day Loki hasn’t said anything else about your missing jewelry. However, yesterday, a day after the press release, Loki had left your rings on your night stand without another word about them.

You can tell Loki is pulling from you, putting up walls that you had worked so hard to demolish. He seems more standoffish and irritated now if his scathing remarks to the team are a tell. You really should just tell him what’s going on but you’re stubborn. 

Today, you sit with Tony in the lab hoping he’ll find a way to make this stupid curse just disappear. While you could wear the gold it would leave you with a noticeable rash within a few hours and if worn long enough pockets of pus appear. If Loki noticed that he would start asking questions you can’t, or rather don’t want to, answer

“I think we need to tell him, I’m honestly lost,” Tony says swiveling in his chair to look at you. “Magic isn’t my forte, it’s Loki’s.” He explains as if you don’t know that. 

“Tony, Amora will never let me live this down. She will always belittle me for being weak and having to ask for help to figure this out.”

“Technically you’ve already asked for help...” Tony points out hesitantly. 

“This is different. She will call me dependent on Loki, like I wasn’t a threat before he came along and I’m his little damsel in distress,” You say letting out a frustrated growl and covering your face with your hands. “I don’t know how to explain what I mean, ok, I just can’t tell Loki.” 

“Uh...” Is all Tony says as you failed to notice someone else came into the lab. 

“Look, I love Loki but he can’t know.” You say with finality, letting your hands drop.

“Loki can’t know what, exactly?” Loki asks in a smooth but dangerously low tone.

You gasp, jumping a little in your spot on Tony’s work table. Your eyes are wide as saucers and you’re sure you can feel the blood from your face leave. 

Loki stands a few feet away with his arms crossed and a pissed look on his face. 

The room is incredibly silent, the tension able to be cut with a dull butter knife. You’re lucky Tony comes to save you. 

Tony sighs, brings a hand up to rub through his hair and looks at Loki with a grimace as if dreading to tell Loki a, false, secret.

Wow he was a great actor, shouldn’t be surprising considering he grew up under the paparazzi’s thumb but to see it in action? It’s shocking.

“She wants me to build her some armor. Says she feels inadequate next to all of us since she doesn’t have powers or anything cool other than pistols.” Tony, falsely, admits. 

Loki frowns at Tony before his eyes slide over to you looking to see if Tony speaks the truth. You quickly make yourself believe Tony’s lie, putting on your brave face as you look at the God of Lies in the eyes. 

You know you’ve succeeded because Loki drops his arms and walks over to you. Tony moves away to tinker with something else in his lab, giving you both space, and quickly flicking the holoscreen he had been looking at away before Loki gets a close look at it and it reveals your secret. 

Loki spreads your knees so he may stand between your legs and brings a hand up to grip your chin and make you look up at him. 

“You will never be inadequate. You deserve a spot on this team, powers or not. You are a formidable warrior and I’m honored to be able to fight by your side,” Loki tells you, his voice strong and confident, his eyes filled with love. “Why would you hide this from me?” He then whispers, his eyebrows stitched together in a hurt look.

You swallow the lump in your throat and consider telling Loki the truth as you look into his eyes and see how much he truly loves you. How much it hurts him to know you’ve been lying to his face.

“I-” 

Suddenly the tower’s klaxons are roaring to life and causing the moment to be broken. You, Loki, and Tony stand at attention. 

“Sir, Amora has breeched your defenses, she is fighting Mr. Rogers and Odinson on floor 84. I believe they have it handled though.” Jarvis supplies you all. 

You and Loki quickly make your way to the floor, Tony lagging behind to put on his suit. 

When you get there Steve and Thor have Amora bound with magic resistant cuffs as she kneels on the ground between them. When she sees you her eyes light up at the fact you are without any jewelry and gives a dark laugh. 

“You haven’t rid yourself of my curse? I figured Loki would break it within 24 hours. You’re losing your touch aren’t you, mage?” Amora says looking over to Loki with a perfectly coiffed eyebrow raised in question. 

Loki looks over to you with confusion on his face and you sigh. Of course the bitch had to ruin everything you’ve been avoiding. 

“Oh,” Amora says, her face slack with shock. Then it splits into an evil grin. “He doesn’t know?”

You glance at Loki who is looking between the two of you with avid interest. Steve and Thor look confused as well. Tony’s suit clanks over to Amora and slaps a magic resistant gag over her mouth, giving you a look that tells you you need to tell Loki everything, now.

Steve, Thor and Tony leave with Amora leaving you in the silent room with a very confused Loki.

“What does she speak of?” Loki finally asks when you refuse to give him anything as you stand there looking at the ground like it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “You’re cursed?” Loki asks, concern laced in his words causing you to feel worse.

You let a tear drop from your eye, blowing out a deep breath and looking at Loki. 

“She cursed me so I can’t wear gold without getting a bad rash and pus pockets.” You let the words tumble out of your lips, a small hiccup coming out of your mouth at the end of the sentence. 

Loki frowns at you, obviously wanting to comfort you but doesn’t reach for you yet. “That is why you haven’t been wearing my jewelry?” Loki asks for confirmation. 

You nod, bringing a hand up to wipe at your tears. 

You don’t expect it but Loki quickly envelops you into his arms in a crushing hug. One hand holding your head to his chest, the other rubbing over your back. His body relaxing into yours as if relieved.

“You’re not mad?” You ask the god shakily, your words hitting his chest as puffs of air from your mouth. You bring your arms up and hug Loki back.

“Darling, I thought you had grown tired of me, that you were slipping from my grasps, that you were going to ask to split any day now.” Loki says into your hair where he litters kisses. “I thought you had fallen for Tony.” Loki explains his own voice wavering a bit at the confession.

“What,” You say shocked, your arms squeezing Loki tighter at the realization of the hurt you put Loki through this past week, “No, never, Tony is my friend. I just didn’t want to have to be saved by you all the time. I don’t want to be your damsel in distress. I want us both to be dependent but also independent, that’s all.” You explain into Loki’s chest, your body now shaking with the emotions that overwhelm you. 

Loki lets out a relieved laugh, pulling away just enough so he may look down at you. “You will never be a damsel in distress, with need of my help or not. I told you, you are formidable on your own, a warrior with a brave spirit.” 

Suddenly you feel really stupid. Amora had gotten inside your head and screwed everything up. Loki was right, as he usually is. 

You let out a shaky laugh. “Can you please break this curse so I can wear your jewelry again? I miss it, a lot.” You ask of Loki who only smiles at you fondly and nods. 

“Of course, darling.” 

[bubbleteaimagines]

age gap

tony stark oneshot

tony x you

swearing, large age gap

in this day and age it shouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

but it was.

y/n l/n and tony stark became trending worldwide, every gossip magazine and newspaper out for whatever information they could get about your relationship.

the relationship by the way, that had a 28 year age gap.

you were 20 and tony was turning 48, though it seemed neither of you cared as much as the world did.

you thought it was perfectly normal, seeing as your parents were years apart and tony simply didn’t give a damn.

‘screw the tabloids’ he always said, but sometimes it wasn’t that easy.

at home, you were able to relax with the idea of your age gap as it was just the two of you being y/n and tony.

but out in public, it was an entirely different deal.

whispers, stares, pictures. you name it and people did it, not even caring or respecting your private time with tony when you went out.

you didn’t expect for it to bother you as much as it did. you thought that maybe with tony by your side you could block out the whispers and the hateful stares but it was nearly impossible as it happened almost everywhere you went.

even if you went grocery shopping for god’s sake, someone still had something negative to say.

of course, tony defended you as much as he could. he tried to shield you from the hateful words and articles but sometimes he wasn’t enough.

sometimes, it did get to you and soon you realized you didn’t know how much more you could take.

you loved tony, but after being constantly called a gold digger and his sugar baby, you began to doubt yourself, and your relationship.

were you really as manipulative as the papers said? were you really just with tony for his money?

of course not. deep down you knew that with or without money you loved tony stark. and he loved you, but it didn’t help that he also loved to spoil you and he was paying almost all of your college tuition.

even though you insisted he didn’t, he did anyways. he reassured you after countless protest that that was just something he did; he took care of everyone he loved.

eventually you were forced to settle with the idea. but it never stopped the running thoughts in your head.

am i really that bad as everyone says?

it was during a christmas party that tony was holding that you finally snapped.

tony had gone all out; getting the most expensive decorations and inviting all of the richest people he knew.

and of course, since it was tony, he also got the best alcohol money could buy, and unfortunately you weren’t allowed to drink a single drop.

all night, you had stood awkwardly by tony’s side in your pretty red dress, holding a cup full of water and laughing uncomfortably as you were forced to listen to drunk rich people tell unamusing stories.

by now, the music was blasting, night had fallen, and you were pretty sure you were only one not drunk at the party, minus tony and steve.

the elegant cup that you pretended to drink from held nothing expect for water and it was only another painful reminder that you were probably the youngest one at the party.

out of respect, tony decided he wasn’t going to drink either but that did nothing to ease you. If anything, you wished that he had been drinking so that he wouldn’t remember the embarrassing conversation you were having with some of the housewives he invited.

“so, y/n, tell me,” a woman name martha kalnins gushed as she sat on one of tony’s luxurious couches, obviously drunk from one of the many glasses of wine she had had. “Is Tony really as amazing in bed as everyone says he is?”

a round of laugher from the other housewives around you made you shift uncomfortably, thankful the dark room didn’t show the frown radiating off of you.

“uh… i uh,” you sounded like a child, struggling to answer her question and you laughed uncomfortably as to not show how disturbed you really were. you shared a look with tony.

“i mean … h-he’s great at everything, honestly. it’s tony stark we’re talking about,” you answered unsurely, and tony squeezed your thigh as the women laughed again.

“oh, i guess you’re right,” martha slurred and took another drink. “that tony is a catch. hell, if i had been twenty years younger like you i would’ve snatched him up, too. with that tight little body of yours it’s no wonder he’s so eager to pay your bills.”

another round of laughter and you could feel tony beginning to tense up beside you. now, it was your turn to squeeze his leg and you turned back to the women with a tight smile.

“oh, tony doesn’t pay my bills,” you tried to assure them but they waved it off.

“oh nonsense. why else would you be with a man that’s almost 50?” another woman asked you and you threw her a sharp glare.

you were starting to heat up, not appreciating their little jabs at your relationship.

“why am i with him?” you pulled out your cold tone and scoffed at her. “i don’t know— maybe because i love him?” you said a little angrily.

how dare they insinuate anything else than the truth: you loved tony and you didn’t give a damn about his age.

the woman snorted. “yeah. that’s what i told myself when i first met howie,” she threw a glance to an older man in the corner. “sure does make the sex a lot easier when you think you love them.”

you couldn’t stop your blood from boiling.

“how dare you!”

in an instant, you were up and out of your seat, the woman’s smile long gone as you angrily got in her face.

“y/n!” tony tried to stop you but you were sick of it. you were sick of it all; the jokes, the jabs, the little comments that nobody had any business making on your relationship.

you were done.

“how dare you talk about my relationship like that when you know nothing about us!” you fumed and suddenly you had everyone’s attention.

“who are you come into our house and as our guest disrespect us? you don’t know a thing about tony and i. not a single damn thing. you don’t know about all of the late nights we have, all of the laughs we share and all of the movies we watch. you don’t know about all the things we have in common besides sex and you damn well don’t know anything about me! you don’t, because if you did then you’d know i’m not with him for the money, or the fame, or whatever else you think is associated with tony stark. i’m not here for any of that. i’m here for him, so why don’t you get your head out of your ass and realize that just because you spread your legs for money, that doesn’t mean the rest of us do!”

by the time you finished you were panting and everyone was in complete shock. it was silent, and the woman in front of you looked as if she didn’t know what the hell to do.

no one did as you stood with your chest moving heavily, your well deserved rant coming off of your consciousness.

you huffed.

“well then. seeing as i’m only 20, i guess it’s past my bedtime,” you rolled your eyes and looked at the clock, noticing it was 1AM.

“i’ll see you all … whenever. goodnight.”

you did a dramatic turn and then proceeded to exit tony stark style. leaving a big commotion behind you and no doubt people that would spread your words everywhere the next morning.

that would be another problem you would have to worry about, but right now you focused on just sleeping the entire night away.

sighing, you changed out of your dress into some shorts and swiftly got under the covers.

you closed your eyes, and you tried to let sleep come to you but it was almost impossible as you were painfully aware the spot next to you was empty.

tony hadn’t come to bed yet and it was like your body refused to let you rest until he did.

sighing again, you peeled your eyes open again and decided to stare up at the blank ceiling, waiting for tony to come to bed.

when he finally did, it was around 3AM in the morning but even the dark you could see his shit-eating grin.

“well, that was quite the performance tonight, miss l/n,” tony teased almost immediately and you groaned.

“sorry if i ruined your party,” you apologized to tony and buried your face in a pillow. “i just got so mad that people kept insinuating i was only with you for that that i just … i just snapped.” you explained.

tony was still grinning and you felt the bed dip as he gently slid in beside you.

“don’t worry about it. i’d say that was more entertaining than mrs. mccoy getting so drunk she admitted she was cheating with garden boy,” tony laughed and you snorted.

“great. i was the biggest scandal of the night,” you sighed.

“biggest one of the century, actually. how long do you think it’s gonna take for people to start talking about it?”

“i’d say it’ll make an appearance in the morning. some magazine talking about how tony stark’s sugar baby finally blew her fuse,” you yawned and tony chuckled.

“yeah well, at lease i don’t have to worry about if it’s true now.”

“worry if what’s true?”

“that you love me,” he said quietly.

you peered up at him in the dark.

“tony? what? of course i love you,” you frowned. you felt the pillow shift as tony shook his head.

“no, yeah, i know,” he said. “but now i don’t have to worry about if it’s tony stark you’re attracted to, or iron man.”

“clearly i wouldn’t be attracted to a piece of metal, tony,” you both rolled your eyes simultaneously.

“yeah, no shit,” tony sighed. “but i mean like— i don’t have to worry about which personality you’re attracted to. now i know for sure that it’s me that you want, and not just my name. or my fortune.”

“well, technically both are still up from grabs,” you smirked in the dark. “haven’t signed a pre-nup yet.”

“oh but you definitely will now,” tony scoffed, but there was humor behind both of your words.

you both found comfort in knowing that you only wanted each other, and not for the reasons everyone else thought.

you weren’t with tony for the money. and he wasn’t with you for the sex.

you both genuinely and honestly loved each other, and now you knew that no ridiculous tabloid or paper was ever gonna make you doubt that again.

[mygodyouredivine]

The Hell In Your Eyes - 2

Summary: Loki doesn't meet her until two weeks after his initial imprisonment, but he knows he hates her. He has to hate her. Because the way she talks to him and helps him and saves him meals can't mean anything. She is too soft to deal with Loki, who is hardened with pain, pain, and more pain. And Loki hates soft things. 

Have you ever seen the hell in someone’s eyes and loved it anyway?

Characters: Loki Laufeyson/(f)Reader

Warnings: mild blood

Word Count: 3498

Previous Chapter 

It’s 5 in the morning. 

The sun isn’t even out yet and you’re standing in the kitchen, dressed in your pajamas, preparing smoothies. You thought you’d be used to waking up early, considering how you always used to make smoothies before everyone else woke up, but apparently your recent ‘break’ has thrown off your internal schedule. In fact, if not for FRIDAY’s not-so-gentle reminder of your morning plans, you wouldn’t have gotten up in time.  

You shake your head, tightening your grip on the mason jar you’re holding.  

It won’t happen again.  

It can’t.  

Not when you’re already in everyone’s way, always leeching off of Tony’s money, always causing trouble for Steve and making Bucky worry. Not when Natasha always feels a need to look after you and Wanda constantly checks in. Not when Sam and Clint feel obligated to train with you and Thor treats you like you’re going to break — going to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces and then cut and bleed all over the tower’s expensive, clean floors.  

No. If you can’t even do something as simple as making smoothies for the people you’re always inconveniencing, what use are you? 

Your fingers tighten and you can feel your nails digging into the hard glass of the mason jar. For a second, you wonder if it’s possible for you to scratch the class. You clench your fingers — hard — in an effort to break the glass. Just once, you want to break something else. But as you loosen your grip, you’re forced to come to terms with the fact that the jar is just as pristine as it always was.  

Not a single crack. Not even a scratch.  

The jar is fine — the jar is always fine. But your fingers are dented and your joints are sore and you’re so tired of this. Of always being the one who is damaged. The only one who is ever damaged. Everyone else is always unscathed and no one else ever breaks.  

You drop the mason jar. 

Shit. 

It falls to the ground and you watch as it shatters all over the floor.  

Maybe Thor is right. Maybe you are going to shatter one day, just like that mason jar. 

But it’s not going to be today. Breath quickening, you furiously remind yourself that it’s okay.  

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.  

It’s not you on the floor. Maybe one day it is going to be you, lying there broken and useless and fractured and gone, but right now, it's not. You’re still full and whole and not broken and the glittering glass fragments on the floor aren’t you. Looking back down, your eyes catch on droplets of red. Your breath stops and the air in your lungs still. Sure, the glass on the floor isn’t your ground-up soul, shattered and crushed, but the blood is yours. 

There are specks of blood splattered amidst the glass, staining the kitchen’s pristine floor. And you know it’s your blood because you can feel it dripping from your fingers where the glass cut into your skin and you can’t help but stare as a drop of it rolls off your middle finger and falls to the ground and you flinch as it lands in a little crimson circle.  

It’s pretty, though.  

And you can’t look away as another drop falls, landing directly on top of the previous one, doubling the size of the puddle. For a second, you wonder how much blood it would take to cover the entire floor — and if your body has enough.  

But then you hear footsteps approaching and you hastily kneel onto the ground, furiously attempting to clean up the mess you made, to fix it. More blood trickles from your fingertips as you desperately grab at the broken pieces. You’re making it worse.  

The glass blurs and you frantically blink, trying to rid yourself of the tears beginning to form in your eyes. The last thing you need is to cry — for your tears to mingle with your blood — for you to appear even weaker than you already do.  

But you are weak. You can’t even win this battle — against yourself, and you feel the tears overflow and you watch as they fall, turning the dark red into a lighter pink. 

It's a pretty pink. 

It’s a pink that reminds you of the first lipstick you ever bought. You and your best friend had gone down to the convenience store after school, sneakily carrying the lunch money you’d both saved. You remember counting the coins together and excitedly running towards the makeup aisle, where the both of you promptly agonized over the perfect lipstick for the better part of an hour.  

Eventually, you settled on a sparkly little tube of lipstick — more of a chapstick really, and you can distinctly recall how it smelled like heaven and tasted like strawberries, and how it always tinted your lips just the slightest bit pink.  

But right now, the pink you’re staring at isn’t lipstick, and you can very clearly make out two feet standing before you. Looking up, you meet a pair of eyes. Blue, like the sky on a sunny day. It’s a blue filled with promises of picnics and lemonade and daisies, of innocence and childhood, of strawberry lipstick. And in this moment, you want nothing more than to drown in that blue. 

Maybe if you bleed enough blood and cry enough tears you can drown in it. Maybe you can drown in the perfect shade of pink while staring into the perfect shade of blue.  

______________________________

For such a muscly man, Thor’s fingers are surprisingly soft.  

The god is currently standing before you, carefully bandaging your cut hands.  

“My lady, I thought you specifically told me that blood smoothies were not appetizing.” His attempt at humor brings a smile to your face, but you can’t do more. Shrugging, you answer. 

“Well, I guess I’m just a hypocrite.” His eyes squint, his eyebrows furrow, and you can tell he’s about to reassure you. You hurriedly continue. “Even the best of us make mistakes, Lord of Thunder.”  

Thor’s eyebrows relax again, and the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles. Relief courses through your veins. You wonder if Thor can feel it in the blood that is still leaking from your fingers. Gently, you tug your hands out of his grasp, just in case. Sending out a silent prayer of thanks to whatever prompted you to wear your black sweatpants today, you try not to grimace as the fabric brushes against your injured legs. At the very least, they conceal the blood. 

Thor doesn’t need to know about those. It’s bad enough that he’s already seen you dissolving into an emotional puddle earlier, not to mention how the literal King of Asgard had cleaned up the mess you made and is now attempting to inspect your hands again.  

“Were you planning on making the smoothies this morning, my lady?” Thor’s voice interrupts your thoughts and you look up, meeting his poorly-disguised-concerned gaze. 

“Yup.” You nod, popping the p . “I’m glad to be back, and I wanted to start making you guys smoothies before your morning workouts again. I know for a fact that whatever concoction you made yesterday was an absolute disaster.”  

Thor looks sheepish as he smiles, his hands running through his short blonde hair. “My brother would agree with you.”  

At this, you suddenly remember. You need to get Loki’s smoothie preference, as well as the time he wakes up. You know everyone’s preferred flavors, as well as their morning routines, to ensure your smoothies are always as fresh as possible.  

“Speaking of Loki, when does he wake up?” 

Thor shrugs, a confused look flitting across his face. “Truth be told, I don’t really know. Loki and I haven’t inhabited the same space in quite some time, and I am not familiar with his routines.”  

“Oh.” That would be slightly hard to work with. “Uh, well do you know what type of smoothie he might prefer?” 

Thor’s lips turn down into a pout. “I don’t think Loki would like any type of smoothie, my lady. Yesterday he made his distaste for smoothies quite clear."  

Before you can interrupt and remind him that his smoothie most definitely tasted nothing like your smoothies, he continues with a wink. "But I suppose if anyone could make a smoothie Loki does approve of, it would be you, my lady."  

You know Thor is somewhat disappointed by Loki’s lack of enthusiasm towards his smoothie. It’s easy to detect, even under his charming antics. Thor’s lips turn downward when he is upset, and he always picks at his nails. Sometimes he will suck in his cheek, and that’s when you know he is truly in a mood. But Thor never stays sad for long.  

His expression has brightened up again, and Thor is back, his ever-chipper energy once again emanating from within his warm eyes. There’s not a single trace of conflict in his eyes, and you wonder, for the hundredth time, how he does it. Thor has seen so much death — caused it, even — and been through so much pain, yet he is always able to hold it together, always able to smile and laugh and come back stronger. 

Thor is the embodiment of the word 'golden'. No matter how much dirt and grime Life layers on top of him, nothing could ever dim his luster.  

You think you're closer to being the dirt and grime than you ever were to being gold. 

“Thanks Thor.” 

______________________________

In the end, you settle on making Loki Thor’s favorite smoothie. After all, Thor is the only other god here who has dined on the finest Asgardian delicacies, and if he likes your chocolate-strawberry smoothies, you just hope Loki does too.  

The only difference is, Thor prefers his smoothies absurdly sweet. Whether it’s his insane metabolism or the ten thousand calories he burns a day, he never seems to be affected by the hundreds of grams of sugar you’re sure he consumes.  

You’re carefully pouring the smoothie into two mason jars when Nat comes into the kitchen. You smile and motion towards her drink sitting on the counter. Natasha prefers a green smoothie, packed with kale and spinach and cucumbers and ginger — not the best tasting thing you’ve ever made, but it must do something , ‘cause Nat looks like she doesn’t understand what the word ‘bloating’ means.  

The redhead raises an eyebrow, motioning to the second mason jar you’re carefully pouring. “Does Thor drink two of those every morning now?” 

“Well, no. This one's for Loki. I don’t know what he prefers, so I thought I’d make him Thor’s favorite for now. Except without the whipped cream and excessive number of chocolate chips.” 

Nat’s other eyebrow raises. “You’re kidding right? Angel, stay away from Loki. He’s a dangerous man. He’s deranged and unstable and selfish. He’s not going to appreciate your smoothie.” 

And with that, all the self doubt rushes back in. The self hatred that Thor’s fingers had smoothed away, the shame that bled from your fingertips, it all rushes back in, pumping through your veins and into your heart.  

“Do you appreciate my smoothie?” You hadn’t meant for it to come out, and you certainly hadn’t meant for it to sound so insecure. 

Nat’s eyes widen, and she hastily retreats. “Nono Angie, that's not what I meant. Come on, you know all of us love your smoothies. What I’m trying to say is —” her fingers meet her forehead in a gesture of frustration “ — we appreciate and love you for all that you do, but Loki won’t. He’s too arrogant and he definitely thinks we’re all beneath him.”  

With that, she moves closer to you and envelopes you in a hug. Natasha means well, you know that, but she doesn’t realize how her words come off — how she just backed up the little voice inside your head, repeatedly telling you that you’re worthless. You wonder if she even wants your smoothie, or if she just humors you. And then her arms retreat from around you, and she steps back. 

“Sorry Angie, but I’ve got to go now. I love you — we all do. You know that right?”  

You nod, and smile. “Thanks Nat. I love you too.” 

______________________________

Natasha’s smoothie has separated. The blended ingredients have floated to the top, and the green liquid has settled below. The abandoned smoothie sits on the edge of the counter, where she left it, only reaffirming your suspicions that she didn’t really want it in the first place. Dimly, you consider dumping Loki’s smoothie out. Maybe Natasha is right. But you don’t really want to waste any food, so you move to put his smoothie in the fridge. Maybe Thor will drink it later.  

(If he even likes them.) 

But as you open the fridge door, you notice the plate of leftovers you snagged yesterday is gone. The saran wrapped plate is missing, and you don’t think anyone would have taken it, except…? You look around for the plate. It’s not in the sink or left on the counter, nor lying in the dishwasher. You find it in the cabinets, placed directly on top of its companions.  

You’re confident that no one in this tower would clean their plate after eating, except maybe Steve. But Steve isn’t here — he made his famous lasagna last night because he was leaving for a mission early today. So really, that just leaves Loki.  

Is it possible that Nat was wrong? 

Did Loki take the food you left for him? And ate all of it? And cleaned up? 

You suddenly remember yesterday, walking in on Loki scrubbing blood off the floor. You can’t say you were surprised Thor had left a mess, but you were somewhat surprised Loki was cleaning it up. Maybe it is possible then.  

So you decide to bring the smoothie to Loki. 

First, you make a quick stop at your room. Your legs are really starting to sting, and you don’t want the sweatpants to dry onto your skin. Damn. You’re going to have to wash these again, and you just did laundry. But it’s okay, and soon you’re walking out of your room, clad in another pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, holding Loki’s smoothie. 

You take the elevator and press the familiar button of Thor’s floor. Mentally, you’re once again debating whether or not this is a good idea. You’ve almost decided to just turn back when the elevator doors slide open and you make eye contact with Loki, who is standing awkwardly in the doorway of his room, one foot inside the door and one foot in the plush carpet of the Odinsons’ shared living room.  

His eyebrows are raised comically in an expression of surprise, and for a second you don’t see the intimidating god. 

But then the moment passes, and he straightens, eyes narrowing, eyebrows drawing together in a frown. “Can I help you?” 

A part of you — a large part of you — wants to leave immediately. To apologize for disturbing him and go back to your room. But another part of you, the one who caught a glimpse of Loki before he threw up his defenses, roots you to the ground.  

“Actually, yeah. I made you a smoothie.” You stick out your hand, ignoring the way it trembles slightly. “I know Thor’s smoothie probably tasted like shit, so I thought I’d make you one to show you how it's done.” 

When he doesn’t move, you step further into the living room and set the smoothie down. One of Thor’s hoodies is lying haphazardly across the coffee table, so you pick it up. Loki is staring at you. 

There’s an awkward silence, and you wish he would say something. Anything. But the raven haired prince is as stoic as ever. His eyes are still boring into your own and you can’t help but notice how strikingly different they are from Thor’s.  

Somehow, you’re engaged in a staring contest with the god — and you don’t really want to lose. In an effort, perhaps, to prove to yourself that you’re not weak (especially after the morning’s incident) you resist the increasing temptation to blink. You don’t want Loki to think you’re scared of him, even though you may be a bit wary , and you continue to stare into his eyes. 

They say eyes are the windows to the soul. If that’s true, Loki has a very — empty soul. It’s neither warm nor cold, just vacant . It’s almost as if you’re staring into the eyes of someone long dead.  

With that, you shiver, and surprisingly, Loki breaks the intense eye contact. He looks away then, and his head tilts downward.  

“Right then. I’ll just be on my way.” You hold up Thor’s hoodie. “I’m going to do some laundry. Do you have anything that needs to be washed?” 

You hope he doesn’t ignore you. You really don’t need that today. You just need to be productive. To do something — to help someone. And maybe he senses that, because Loki actually nods and walks back into his bedroom, leaving you to stand awkwardly in the middle of the lavish living space.  

A few moments later, Loki reemerges, effortlessly holding a laundry hamper.  

“Would you like me to take this down?”  

You’re a bit stunned by his unexpected and considerate offer, but your desire to prove yourself shines through.  

“Nah, I got it. Thanks.” 

With that, you lug Loki’s hamper and Thor’s hoodie out of their room, leaving Loki’s smoothie — and an intense hope he drinks it — behind. 

______________________________

Loki is an unbelievably neat person.  

His dirty clothes are folded — inside his hamper. And organized by article, as well as color. You don’t think he realizes how — awkward — it makes the entire process. After carefully shoving his button downs, slacks, sweaters, and jeans into the washer, you’re left with an interesting assortment of clothing.  

His undershirts are ridiculously soft, and you resist the urge to snag one. This isn’t Thor, you remind yourself. After piling them in, you stare at his hamper. Loki has folded his socks, which are paired together. You sincerely hope the washer doesn’t decide to eat one of them, as you doubt he understands the Midgardian concept of missing socks.  

Below his socks are… Loki’s boxers. You wipe away the mental image your mind involuntarily conjures and quickly dump the rest of the clothing into the washer, without touching anything.  

With that, you throw in Thor’s hoodie and your sweatpants, start the cycle, and leave, shaking your head.  

On the way back to your room, you realize that Loki has a very limited closet. All of his laundry had barely filled up his hamper, and you notice how most of his clothing consisted of somewhat uncomfortable items. You haven’t seen him around due to your break, but from his clothing you can assume that Loki has a very different fashion taste than Thor. Mentally, you make a note to slip him some of your oversized hoodies when returning his clothes.  

______________________________

You’re immensely thankful for Thor. He always seems to have the best — or worst — timing, and this time he has saved you from a rather embarrassing situation. 

You’re pulling Loki’s clothes out of the dryer (having already stolen Thor’s hoodie), and you’ve just started to fold his clothes. So far, you’ve shoved a forest green hoodie at the very bottom of the hamper, and you’re in the process of carefully layering Loki’s sweaters over it. Thankfully, the dryer is still mostly full, and you haven’t been confronted with the dilemma of handling Loki’s underwear again.  

Luckily, Thor walks in before you have to.  

“Are you doing Loki’s laundry, my lady?” His voice startles you and you jump, but manage to not drop Loki’s earthy brown sweater.  

“No,” you deadpan, “These are all mine.” 

Thor smiles that smile you’re so familiar with, and you can’t help but grin back. “Well, let me take it from here.” His grin falters for a moment, and he looks more serious when he continues. “Thank you Angel, for giving Loki a chance. I know he can be — difficult. And I wouldn’t blame you if you only saw the villain.” 

You meet Thor’s eyes, always filled with emotion — whether that be happiness or warmth, sadness or anger, and you think back to another pair of eyes. Soulless. You think of Loki, and you think of how you’ve seen those soulless eyes before; every single time you look into a mirror. And for a second, you let yourself believe that maybe Loki’s soul wasn’t voluntarily taken from him either. Maybe his cruelty is his defense, just like yours is the fake-happiness that you wear as a shield. 

“It’s no problem Thor.” You smile, your shield intact. “I couldn’t let him suffer with your smoothies forever, no matter how villainous he might be.” 

______________________________ 

Cruelty is just loneliness disguised as bitterness.  

- Tom Hiddleston 

______________________________

Previous Chapter  Next Chapter

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Taglist: @spacedaddydinn @doct0rstrange

[sineala]

Captain America: The Great Gold Steal

I wrote this up last week because I did not have access to my usual comics files but I figured I could review something that was just a book. So here is a review of the 1968 Captain America novel Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White, with an introduction by Stan Lee. I really liked it, actually! It was surprisingly good!

This novel features: Cover art of Captain America holding his shield in one hand and a very large gun in the other! A scene where the villains dramatically unmask Captain America and have absolutely no idea who he is! Captain America being extremely, extremely depressed about being in the future! Captain America dropping acid!

(I'm not kidding about the last part. In this novel there is a lot of LSD use. By Captain America. Talk about something the Comics Code wouldn't ever let you put in a comic book. Thank you, 1968.)

Faithful readers may remember that some time ago I posted reviews of Marvel prose novels from the 1970s. There was a line of prose novels featuring everyone's favorite Marvel superheroes, published by Pocket Books in the late 70s; I have reviews of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers entries in the series; I liked the Iron Man one best, and I also have a Doctor Strange one I have not yet read. They're all short and action-packed paperback reads, of varying quality; the only one by anyone you might have heard of is the Avengers one, which was written by David Michelinie, who was actually writing the Avengers run at the time. That one was, um. An experience. 

(Yes, it's "prose novel" because otherwise the assumption is "graphic novel.")

Marvel still publishes prose novels now, of course, also of varying quality; some are new plots and some are straight-up novelizations of comics arcs, which I guess is useful if you want to, say, read Civil War and not look at pictures at the same time. I also have a bunch of those that I could probably review if anyone wants. But, anyway, I personally am particularly intrigued by the older Marvel prose novels, both because the stories are all original and not retellings, and also because I often prefer the characterization found in older comics. And the older prose novels of course use the then-current characterization. So reading a Marvel prose novel from 1979 is like getting to read a brand-new comic from 1979, and that's a whole lot of fun for a nerd like me. Also do you know what's not subject to the Comics Code? Prose novels. So things can happen in these that definitely could not happen in comics of the same era.

This brings me to my current prose novel, which is something else entirely. I mean, okay, not really, it's still a Marvel prose novel. But it's not part of the same line. It's actually a lot older.

Bantam Books actually published Marvel prose novels in the late 60s. Yep, a full decade earlier. They published exactly two, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they were probably not bestsellers. The first one, which I do not own and now sort of want to track down, was an Avengers novel in 1967, The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker. And then in 1968 they published the novel I am currently holding in my hands, Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White.

(I am still not sure why no one involved in titling this book thought of the word "theft.")

Judging by the back copy, it appears to be about Captain America foiling the villains' dastardly plan to steal gold from the Federal Reserve. Oh boy. Fun.

So this book is from 1968. The modern Marvel universe had kicked off just a few short years ago! Captain America was just getting his own solo book after the end of Tales of Suspense! And here's a novel about him, back when certain elements of his characterization were perhaps a little more flexible than they are today, by which I mean that the cover art -- which the internet informs me was painted by Mitchell Hooks -- is a striking full-body portrait of Captain America, head held high, shield in one hand... and a very large gun in the other. Hell, yeah. Not gonna see that in today's Cap comics, are you? It's amazing and I love it.

(Okay, you might see that in Ults. I'm pretty sure I have seen that in Ults, actually. But this is still cool.)

So the cover art is a definite plus, and apparently it's one of the few reasons anyone has ever heard of this novel. The other reason -- and the reason this is more expensive than the later novels, I assume -- is that Stan Lee's name is slapped on the cover, because he wrote an introduction. (I think I paid about $30 for this. The others were definitely under $20.)

All right. Here we go.

The first page is actually a brief summary of Steve's origin story, but not a version I was familiar with. Steve was born July 9, 1917 (yes, I was surprised too), was orphaned at a young age, and was a student at Columbia University (!) before Rebirth, which in this version is a gradual process that is also extremely body-horror. Steel tubing was inserted into the marrows of his bones. He was fed "high-protein compounds." Then they gave him a chemical that "gave him complete control over every nerve, muscle, and cell in his now-magnificent body." Sweet. Where can I get some of that?

The blurb also confirms his control over his own metabolism as well as his healing factor ("wounds would heal in half the normal time"), which is nice, because sometimes I wonder if canon even remembers the healing factor.

(I don't know why Marvel has this kink for filling people's bones with metal, though. It's not actually empty in there, guys! You need your bone marrow! How else do you want people to make new blood cells?)

The book is dedicated to "Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, without whom there would be no Captain America." Hey, Marvel, Joe Simon would like a word with you. I'm just saying.

The Stan Lee introduction is three paragraphs written in Stan Lee's, um, inimitable, distinctive and extremely florid narrative style -- if you've read any of his work, you know what I mean -- and making the point that Captain America is incredible and you will like him. If you are just discovering him for the first time, you will definitely like him. Okay. Thanks. I guess.

Oddly, the writing style here is substantially different than any of the other Marvel prose novels I've read; it doesn't immediately front-load you with exposition and a cast of colorful superheroes. It opens with a sort of James Bond spy-novel feel, running through a series of unnamed villains and bystanders, and a man who wants nothing more than to talk to Captain America but is killed before he can. Steve comes in halfway through the chapter, and he seems to be written for a reader who doesn't necessarily know who he is, and he isn't introduced as Captain America with his shield flying ahead of him to smite evildoers, or anything like that. He's just a tall, handsome blond guy who is reading a bunch of novels and is unsatisfied by all of them because all he can think of is the past. It's definitely an attitude I would expect from Steve in this era -- he is very much a Man Out Of Time here -- but it's also not how I expected the book to introduce him. You wouldn't even know he was Captain America by the end of the opening chapter, which then ends with a digression about the history of NYC subway tunnels. It's like it wants to appeal to someone who has watched a bunch of Man from UNCLE and just wants to read a cool thriller. Which is not at all what I was expecting.

By the beginning of the second chapter, of course, we discover that Steve is Captain America, as he changes into his uniform. The narration refers to him as Rogers when it's in his POV, if anyone is curious. He apparently keeps the cowl off in the mansion, because the cowl annoys him.

It was not so much that he needed to conceal his identity these days, because for all intents and purposes he had no other identity. Steve Rogers was officially dead, and had been for almost twenty years. Captain America *was* his identity. It was only when he donned the tight-fitting blue uniform with its shield chest-emblem, the red snug-fitting leather boots, and the heavy, yet pressure-sensitive red-leather gauntlets, that he began to feel real -- a complete human being.

Steve? Buddy, are you okay there? You're really not okay, are you, huh?

You see what I mean? They're really hitting the early-canon angst. Hard.

(Also it sounds like his uniform is a few sizes too small.)

We then get an expanded version of the backstory from the beginning excerpt. In this version of canon, Steve actually has an older brother, Alan, who is handsome and athletic and basically amazing, and when they are orphaned they are raised by their aunt and uncle. Steve gets TB twice as a kid, nearly dies from it, and when the stock market crashes, ends up separated from his brother and in an orphanage after his uncle loses everything.

(Honestly if I were writing this book, his brother would be the secret villain. Chekhov's Gun!)

Steve has glasses, gets bullied, is a nerd and an honor student, and studies law at Columbia because he wants to help stop fraudulent business practices and also fight organized crime. Legally, I mean. In a manner relating to law. I guess he's sort of like Daredevil. The lawyer part of Daredevil.

And then he joins Rebirth, and this is the part where I had to put the book down for several minutes, because Erskine's secret chemical, the key to making super-soldiers... is LSD.

Oh my God. You should see my face right now. My expression is, I am sure, indescribable. I'm trying not to wake the dog up laughing.

I just. Holy shit. This book is from 1968 in a way I definitely was not expecting. What the fuck, Marvel?

This project was headed by the brilliant biochemist, Dr. Erskine. His work with the endocrine system, and chemical body control, was well beyond that of his contemporaries. Only he, of all his colleagues, had fathomed the secrets of the Swiss Dr. Hoffman's 1938 discovery -- the mind-controlling LSD-25.

Let's just pause here for a few minutes and contemplate this.

I will point out that Albert Hofmann (yes, the book spelled his name wrong) didn't actually discover that LSD was a hallucinogen until 1943 when he accidentally tried it, but I am positive that 1968 here was a time when Some People were convinced LSD was a wonder drug. I'm still laughing. As far as I can tell, legal manufacturing of it stopped in 1965 so I am pretty sure that the author did not just decide to name a drug that had an ostensible legal therapeutic use, because it wouldn't have still had one by '68.

Anyway, in this version of events, Rebirth is a month-long process that involves a lot of vitamins, physical conditioning and training, and, yes, putting metal in his bones like he's the next Wolverine. They're filling his bones with stainless steel rods to make him stronger. That doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I am also not sure about dropping acid to gain superpowers. Clearly I am not a genius scientist. Also Erskine knows what DNA is, apparently, because he's just that great. Anyway. Other than the metal, those all seem like relatively normal interventions. So far.

Now Steve has become fairly big and strong (and I guess he still has metal in his bones? this concerns me!) but they need to make him superhuman, so, yes, really, it's time to drop acid. Several pages of this book are devoted to describing Steve's acid trip. His acid trip is amazing and he discovers that he has conscious control of his entire body down to the cellular level. He can control the adrenaline in his bloodstream! He can tighten his muscle fibers! And when he's done tripping he still remembers how to do this, if not exactly on a conscious level, but he can still access the abilities. And that is how you make a super-soldier. It's LSD. Remember, kids, drugs are awesome! Do drugs!

Let's maybe take a few more minutes to think about this.

I just. I have no words. How did anyone at Marvel agree to print this?

I think for the most part superhero origin stories tend not to involve real drugs because people are generally aware that drugs they've heard of won't make you into a superhero. I guess this is what it looks like when you invoke the names of real drugs. They probably wanted something that sounded more realistic but somehow I don't think this was the best way to go. (Radiation, of course, will definitely make you into a superhero but I feel like most people have accepted that as one of the conventions of the genre.)

Anyway, after that Erskine gets killed by Nazis, of course, and Steve goes to war, and for some reason this book contains footnotes by Stan Lee himself listing the comics you can read all of this in. Just like the actual comics do!

We are introduced to Bucky, who for some reason is also from the LES in this version, although not anyone Steve knew before the war, and there is of course a description of Bucky's tragic death and Steve's subsequent icing.

They are really, really stressing the Man Out Of Time thing here:

No other man could have survived so fantastic a voyage through time. And no other man could feel so displaced by time.

He was a man twenty years in his own future. By rights, he should be nearly fifty years old -- nearly twice the age of his fellow Avengers. Yet his mind and his body were not yet thirty.

When the Avengers had brought him back to New York with them and insisted that, as an honored hero of the past, he join them, he felt a sort of melancholy homesickness for his own time and world.

We then get a few paragraphs with the usual being sad that he let Bucky down and got him killed, and also that he misses his family, and that Steve Rogers doesn't exist anymore, and that nobody is alive who remembers him, and that war is hell.

Hey, Steve, maybe the drugs you should do are antidepressants. Just a thought.

Also, this book is 118 pages and we're not out of the origin story flashback until page 34. I think there are some pacing issues here.

Actually, I lied, the flashback keeps going, but now we're up to the Avengers finding him, and I have to say that the list of things Steve finds strange about the future is kind of charming when the future is 1968. Men have long hair! Women have shorter skirts! Everyone is kind of blasé about rocket launches because there have been so many space missions now. (Oh, come on, you haven't even landed on the moon yet, 1968! You're not that blasé.) Color TV! And, excitingly, LPs! You can now listen to 36 minutes of consecutive music. (I actually don't know what previous standard he's describing that is a ten-inch record that holds six minutes a side because I don't think 45s are that big. Yeah, no, I just checked and 45s are seven inches in diameter. Hmm. Oh, never mind. He means 78 rpm, doesn't he? In my defense, the record player my family had when I was a kid didn't play those.)

The description of Steve coming into New York for the first time is definitely written by someone who knows New York, which is fun. There is generally a lot of local flavor to the setting of this book. That’s one of the best parts.

There is a brief summary of Steve's feelings about all the Avengers -- he is most impressed by Thor, which, I mean, fair, he's an actual god -- and Hank telling him all about how he can live in Tony's mansion. With Jarvis. Who Hank says is actually from Flatbush. Apparently Steve spent a lot of time at the NYPL branch at 5th and 42nd trying to catch up on history. And then of course the Avengers ditched him and gave him the Kooky Quartet, and for some reason they're not here right now either so it's just Steve being sad and alone and dealing with this mysterious dead guy. I think probably the book is also done explaining fiat currency now. This is definitely the weirdest Marvel novel I've read.

Anyway, we have now returned to what is ostensibly the actual plot. Steve shows up at the New York Federal Reserve Bank (I guess the theft is happening here and not, like, at Fort Knox) with the gold bullion that the dead guy from the beginning of the book had on him -- I think I got distracted by the LSD bit and forgot to mention that part, but the dead guy was carrying some US government gold -- because the actual plot is that villains are trying to tunnel into the bank vault and steal gold. Steve discovers this after he gets the bank manager to give him a tour. The bank manager tries to refuse, citing security concerns -- Captain America could be anyone under that mask, after all! Steve just smiles and says, "If I removed my mask, would you have any better idea of who I am?" and I guess that's a flawless argument because he gets his tour.

(I'm sorry, all I can think of is that one gif from the JLA cartoon where Lex Luthor bodyswaps with the Flash, announces that now that he's in the Flash's body he's going to discover the Flash's secret identity, then pulls off his own mask, stares at himself in the mirror, and says, "I have no idea who this is.")

Given that the theme of Steve's interior life in this novel is "Steve Rogers died twenty years ago" it seems even more sad that Steve is just walking around basically saying, yeah, well, I'm nobody. And apparently that is being reaffirmed for him by the narrative.

So Steve goes down the tunnels, takes out some of the bad guys, and gets himself knocked out and buried in a collapsing tunnel. Don't worry, he's gonna be fine.

A lot of this book, by the way, is from the POV of random people, like this bank guard who went with Steve into the tunnels:

He had wondered, briefly, if a man like Captain America ever knew the pinch of too many bills, had ever felt desperate over the arrival of yet another mouth to feed. But, of course, Captain America had no family, and would hardly concern himself with such matters. It didn't occur to Thompson to wonder if this in itself might not be something for which to pity Captain America.

Rude. I mean, come on, do we really need random characters telling us Steve is a sad sack whom nobody loves? Steve's already got that covered!  (Also, how does this guy know Captain America has no family?)

Anyway, thanks to the power of LSD, Steve is going into a trance, amping up his metabolism (he loses "several pounds" in a few minutes), and making himself super-strong so he can dig himself out. Hooray. This is definitely how human bodies work. Also LSD. This is definitely how LSD works. Yes.

Steve then finds out that a couple of the guards who were with him in the tunnels died down there and he goes home and eats dinner while stewing in miserable guilt because he was responsible for their deaths. He's really not okay. I'm not sure the book actually understands how not okay they have made him. Then someone from SHIELD is on the phone for him and he is briefly cheered up by the thought that it might be Sharon although I think we should also note that the narrative makes it clear that at this point in canon Steve still doesn't know her name. Remember when that was a thing?

Alas, it is not Sharon; it's just a random SHIELD agent who happens to have information about the plot and asks to meet. Then, as Steve leaves to go to the meeting, we get two pages of exhaustive description about the mansion layout and how it's built relative to the surrounding buildings. It feels like this book was written by a frustrated city planner. But anyway, the meeting is a setup and the villains capture Steve.

They knock Steve out, drug him, take him to their hideout, and tie him to a chair. Except, once again thanks to the power of LSD, the tranquilizer they're using wears off way sooner than they expected and so Steve feigns unconsciousness and listens to them discuss their evil plans.

And then the villains unmask him and I swear it's exactly like that JLA gif:

Rogers heard footsteps scuffing across a thick carpet, and then Sparrow's voice again, almost directly over him. His ears still buzzed, but he fought to catch the elusive familiarity of the man's tone. He wished he dared open his eyes.

"This is a moment which I, personally, have long awaited," Sparrow said, his voice rising in triumph. "*The unmasking of Captain America!*"

Then, his nails scraping along Rogers' face, Sparrow dug his fingers under his cowl, and ripped it back. Rogers felt air strike his exposed cheeks and forehead. Then fingers clutched his blond hair and pulled his head back. "Behold!" Sparrow said.

Raven was first to speak. "Well, I dunno about you, Sparrow, but it rings no bells with me. I never seen him before."

Starling agreed. "His face means nothing to me."

"He could be anybody," said Robin. "What good does this do?"

Sparrow let Rogers' head fall back to his chest, and his voice when he spoke was defeated. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I always wondered. I felt, if these guys -- these costumed heroes -- wore masks, it must mean something."

"Captain America was missing for twenty years," Starling said. "That could mean the first one died, and this one took his place. He looks awfully young."

"Perhaps. It doesn't really matter. Let's get going."

(Yes, the villains all have bird-themed codenames. I have no idea why.)

This scene just makes my day. I love dramatic unmaskings. I bet they'd have been a lot happier unmasking Iron Man.

The villains then leave Steve and go to a power plant, where we switch POVs to one of the plant employees and get two entirely unnecessary paragraphs about his racist and anti-Semitic thoughts about his coworkers before the villains murder him. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, the villains cause a blackout, while meanwhile they've left Steve alone with the girl villain, and Steve is busy trying to persuade her that crime doesn't pay. He's moved from the "do you know what they'll do to you in prison?" theme onto "how exactly are you going to spend a billion dollars in gold bullion when it's illegal for civilians to possess? who are you going to do business with?" and then points out that gold is heavy and hard to transport, which is when she gets out a a knife.

The bad guys are off to steal the gold, and Steve has now successfully turned the girl they left him with, because she frees him. Of course, the first thing he does is put the cowl back on.

"Why do you wear that?" she asked.

"The mask?" He smiled. "It gives people something external to concentrate upon."

"But..."

"Without it, I'm just another ordinary-looking man. With it, I become a symbol. For some people it creates awe; for others, fear. Look at me. I'm different now, aren't I? With the mask on."

"Yes," she nodded. "You look -- bigger, somehow. Stronger. Fierce, implacable. You look a little scary."

"Exactly. You no longer see me as a person, but as a thing -- an Avenger. It can be a potent psychological weapon."

"They were so disappointed, when they took your mask off. As though underneath they'd find a famous person."

"Maybe that goes on TV -- handsome playboys, and all that. But I've been anonymous all my life. Even my real name would be meaningless to you, to them. No, the mask is part of the uniform, a psychological device. That's the whole story.

Now: let's get out of here. You have a good deal more to tell me yet, and we can't waste more time."

Bwahaha. In a few years, Steve's going to be pretty surprised about who superheroes are, I think.

STEVE, now: Superheroes definitely aren't secretly handsome playboys! That would be silly! STEVE, after Molecule Man: fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK I'm such an idiot

I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Also, not that the issue of Steve's psyche actually recurs after this, but he's once again having the narrative vindicate his belief that Steve Rogers is dead and whoever he is under the cowl doesn't matter. Steve, I don't think this is very healthy.

Steve then tracks down the villains stealing the gold, has some geopolitical thoughts about where the gold could be going (he thinks either South Africa or Russia for the best laundering potential) and then hides himself in the villains' trunk while they drive to Staten Island, which is where they're taking the gold out of the country from.

During the final confrontation, Steve finally gets to see the villains, and he discovers that the one in charge is in fact the director of the Federal Reserve Bank who Steve met at the beginning of this book. Gasp. But that's not all! He's also... the Red Skull!

Honestly, I was kind of surprised; I didn't think this was the kind of book where we'd get any known comic villains, but I guess it's always gotta be the Red Skull. I think he's the only one of Steve's big villains who likes to disguise himself; Zemo has obvious disguise issues and I imagine it's also hard to cover up Zola's Teletubby-esque television body.

Steve shoots one of the villains, because I guess that's what he does in this era of canon.

So the plot wraps up in, like, two pages, because for some reason all these early Marvel novels wrap up very fast. Red Skull, of course, attempts to escape and then disappears and his body is never found. The end.

Well.

That was definitely a book. That I read. Believe it or not, I actually think it was the best of these early Marvel prose novels that I've read so far, even if it was also the absolute weirdest; I thought the thriller-style plot was entertaining, I liked Steve and his Extremely Sad characterization, I obviously enjoy all the identity themes, I liked how very detailed the New York setting was, and I do like how they tried to treat it all seriously. I mean, sure, this did lead to LSD in the super-soldier serum in presumably the name of realism, but I felt like the book was trying to present superheroes in a way that didn't feel silly and also didn't really take for granted that the reader would automatically accept superheroes.

It felt like a book that was written hoping that people who weren't superhero fans would read it, if that makes any sense. And I thought that was interesting, because most modern superhero work that I can think of assumes they've got complete audience buy-in and everyone is willing to suspend their disbelief and we all know the genre conventions and are expecting people running around in brightly-colored spandex. Whereas this is more like a James Bond novel if for some reason James Bond were called upon to defend his decision to wear brightly-colored spandex instead of bespoke suits. But I assume no one read it, because Bantam never published a Marvel book after this one.

If you can actually find a copy of this one for a price you're willing to pay. I recommend it. It was delightful and way more solid than I thought it was going to be.

Also, come on, you know you want to read about Captain America's acid trip.

[giorno-plays-piano]

I LIVE for your exophilia Bucky and Steve fics, Drider/spider Bucky is my LIFE, if you could do centaur, naga or mermaid, please. I just love this so much!

Okay, it was supposed to be a short request, but it had somehow evolved into a oneshot. Thank you for this awesome idea!

Blood in the water

Pairing: merman!Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, attempted kidnapping, non-grapic depiction of violence.

Words: 2125.

_________________

You had never truly believed in the existence of fantastic creatures despite all those rumors about mermaids living in the Triskelion sea. Sure, at some point people thought they shared the Earth with centaurs, sirens, griffons, and all those divine beasts, but you lived in the era of rapid scientific progress, Internet, and space-based technologies. No one in the right state of mind believed in fairies and unicorns.

However, you did like this little town: there was something charming in its narrow streets and a hundred years old buildings, lovely hydrangeas in flowerpots standing outside of the houses and small family cafes here and there. It was a nice place to have a vacation, especially after a crazy year in a big city where streets were always full of people, regardless of time.

You rented a nice little cottage close to the seashore for a month and were now enjoying your morning coffee, sitting on a wide wooden windowsill. The sun was barely up, and you smiled, wrapping a blanket around your bare shoulders. It was such a beautiful morning when the sky was a lovely shade of pink, the sea so unusually quiet. There definitely was something magical in it.

Watching the sea with your window open, you inhaled its smell deeply, closing your eyes. When you opened them in a second, you suddenly saw something glowing far away from you, on a small rock surrounded by water. Your eyes grew wide - it was not something, it was someone. It was a living being. You just saw its enormously huge scaly tail when the creature slipped back into the sea as if it knew you were watching it.

Oh dear.

You immediately left your half-emptied cup on the windowsill and jumped down, hurrying to the door while keeping the blanket wrapped around your shoulders. What was that? How huge was that fish? What could it even be? All those questions were making you speed up, and you rushed to the small pier right next to your cottage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creature again.

But once you were standing on the wooden boards barefoot, shivering from the sudden cool sea breeze, the waters were quiet just like before, not a sound coming from that direction. The creature had disappeared as fast as it emerged, and you were staring at the dark waters again, thinking of whether you saw that enormous fish at all or was it some trick of the light. Maybe you really watched too many fantasy movies on Netflix yesterday. Smiling at the though, you fixed the blanket, covering yourself some more, and inhaled the cool morning air deeply. Whether or not there was a huge fish, it wasn’t really important. You didn’t know how to swim anyway and wouldn’t get into the water far.

When you went to the town to have lunch, you did ask the elderly lady serving customers whether there was some peculiar type of marine animal living in the waters of Triskelion sea, but she just smiled at you and asked you not to come too close to the shore at night.

“It’s not good you live so far from the town,” she said quickly before moving to the other table, gathering empty dishes.

Did she mean it was unsafe to be out of the house at night? Was there like a gang gathering close to the sea or something? You nervously nodded to her, growing a bit concerned. Your landlord didn’t tell you anything about that.

Well, in case of emergency you could barricade the door and call 911. The phone worked perfectly, you thought while walking the streets, buying nice little souvenirs for your friends and colleagues. You actually bought a baseball bat just in case.

Hurrying home before it got dark, you clenched the big bag with a takeout. You asked the girl behind the counter about being on the shore at night, and she confirmed it wasn’t wise. Unfortunately, she didn’t specify, and you thought that speaking of that gang aloud wasn’t appropriate. The girl was probably scared.

Damn, and there you thought it was a perfect quiet place, ideal for a lonely young woman. Was it really better to leave before you got into any real trouble?

Locking the door and closing the windows, you huffed, irritated neither the agency nor your landlord mentioned this to you. It was unfair and even illegal to do business like that. Thinking whether to call your friends to ask for an advice, you sat in the kitchen, unpacking the amazing carbonara that was still warm and smelled heavenly. Well, it least the cafes here were absolutely awesome.

Once you finished your meal and were drinking tea with milk, still sitting in the kitchen - now you were a little afraid of sitting on the windowsill with an open window where anyone could see you - you suddenly heard some noise from the outside. It was a loud sound of fins crushing the water surface. Was it that odd giant fish again? Still, you were aware of danger of being outside late in the evening, so you simply stayed inside the house.

But then you heard someone screaming.

“Please, help!” The voice was pleading, and you stood up quickly, grabbing your bat. “HELP!”

The next moment you were running to the sea shore with a life preserver in one hand and a bat in the other. Someone was drowning in the sea, and you couldn’t fucking swim. Blood rushed to your head when you saw a man tangled in a large fishing net attached to the pierce, and you immediately run to him, dropping to your knees.

“Please! I can’t-” He was fighting the ties binding him, almost screaming in hysterics when you approached him. “I can’t breathe! HELP!”

In complete darkness when the only source of light was the moon shining high up into the sky, you were struggling to see how the man literally wrapped in the net, striking about in the water like a stranded fish. When you got close, throwing your hands to the stranger, he jumped at you right away, leaning closer and trying to climb to the pier. He almost made you fall into the water, but you managed to grab wooden pole with one hand and stand on your knees.

“I’m here! Wait, wait!” You were hurriedly grasping the net, seeing literally nothing in the dark. “I’ll help!”

You could hear the stranger crying, his huge figure shaking terribly, and rushed to tug on the ties, desperately trying to untangle him. You spent a few minutes like that before you had finally freed him, pulling the net up and throwing it on a wooden boards - it was so big you could literally cover the whole pier with it. How did it end up here?

Deadly tired from all the pulling, you gave the stranger your hand again to drag him to the pier, but suddenly he moved away from your arm. He was neither crying not screaming anymore, strangely silent, and you stared at his handsome face, still red from tears. How come? He was able to swim, wasn’t he? Breathing hard from all the struggle, you blinked, wiping the sweat from your forehead.

“Thank you,” the man finally said, coming closer again, and you realized there was something huge in the water right beneath him - you saw an enormous scale tail gleaming in the sea when the moonlight illuminated the waters.

It wasn’t some fish. It was the man’s tail. You saw the scales covering his hips when he got up, getting on the pier where you sat. Instinctively, you crawled back, both charmed and horrified with what you were seeing.

Dear god, he was a merman.

While you stared at him, opening your mouth as if it were you who was suffocating, the man smiled widely, watching you gawk at him. He wasn’t concerned at all, flashing his tail carelessly. “Thank you for saving me, human woman. You are truly fearless.”

Well, you weren’t so sure anymore, gazing at the unbearably handsome merman whose voice was so deep and silky it could drive any girl crazy. You were still scared of him though, knowing little whether he wanted to thank or hurt you - you even read some tales where mermaids were eager to eat sailors if they stumbled upon them in the sea.

But he looked so magnificent. His clear blue eyes were shining bright in the darkness, cheeks a lovely shade of pink, hair like a pure gold in the moonlight. His shoulders were wide, and you could see he was athletically built with his tufty, solid arms. Besides, how could a man with a smile as kind as his be a threat to you, the one who had saved him from the net? Reluctantly at first, you slowly got closer to him, watching his cheerful face. He was happy you weren’t afraid of him.

“What is your name?” He asked, suddenly getting closer so you ended up nose to nose with him.

The merman smelled like salt and seaweed, and when he wrapped his long fingers around your wrist, you whispered nervously, “Y/N.”

“I am Steven.” He grinned at you, rubbing the tip of your nose with his wet one. “I will be forever in your debt.”

“B-but how did you end up in the net? I’ve never heard of people fishing here.” You mumbled, your face flooding with embarrassment at being so close to the handsome stranger.

“Oh, they don’t fish. They try to catch us, the merfolk.”

His gaze turned sad as he touched your cheek with his nose and backed away, getting into water again while you crawled closer to him. So, that was it. That’s why they didn’t want you on the shore late in the evening - they were starting the mermaids hunt. God, how could they? Why did they try to harm these gorgeous creatures, unmistakably as intelligent as people were?

You felt sorry for the man, bending over to him as he stared into your face, still smiling. Gently cupping your cheeks with his wet palms, he rose up to give you a quick peck on the lips, apparently, having very little shame to do it to someone he only met a couple of minutes ago. Feeling terribly embarrassed, you thought that maybe it was merfolk’s way to thank someone and just nodded.

“Are you going to be okay, Steven?” You asked him, barely realizing you were leaning closer and closer to him while he kept getting down in the water.

“Yes.” He answered barely audible, kissing you again while gently touching your hair. “Come closer, love.”

You went even deeper, enchanted by his lovely voice.

“Closer.”

You didn’t realize the merman was luring you into the water until he pulled your face down, and your head ended up in the sea. As you opened your mouth, the water rushed inside it, and you were quickly becoming suffocated. But was scaring you more than drowning was the face of the most handsome man you had ever seen - the sclera became dark, making his eyes looking extraterrestrial, frightening. The next second you saw Steve opening his toothy mouth, and the world turned pitch black.

The pain shooting through your neck made you scream, gulping down salty sea water, and you fell down from the pier completely. You couldn’t breathe, kicking and fighting and struggling in merman’s arms until he let go of you, and you immediately grabbed the life preserver that fell into the water along with you. Keeping kicking furiously to keep Steve away, you clenched the wooden pole.

You didn’t know how you managed to pull up, getting back to the pier while merman was hissing something behind your back, trying to get closer to you. Despite you had no strength left, you were crawling to the shore on your knees, crying from the pain - blood was still seeping from your neck.

“You can’t get away from me!” Steve grinned wickedly, shouting to you. “I’ve marked you, love! You won’t have a mate other than me!”

Deaf to his shouts, you kept crawling until you felt the ground beneath your palms.

What did you know about the merfolk living in the Triskelion sea? Why didn’t you think it was them who were hunting people, luring innocent souls into the water with their pleas and crying? Of course, you didn’t know it was the mating season, and the mark Steve left on your neck would never fade away, scarring your gentle skin.

Why didn’t you leave the town, knowing you were in danger? Now you were bound to him, the cold, merciless creature who would stop at nothing to have you.

_______________________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@void-hoechlin @abyssaint @heeeyitskay @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @navegandoaciegas @rosalynshields @brattycherubwrites @sllooney @angrythingstarlight @lovelydarkdaydream @soleil-dor @lookiamtrying @buckysbunny

[forever-rogue]

IMAGINE Javi saying one of his many fuck mes and you (a shy secretary that tries to stay out of everyone’s way and blushes anytime Javi or Steve talks to you and Javi has thought you cute but usually forgets about you until today) hear him and say gladly under your breath. He overhears and flirts with you the rest of the day till he takes you at work

I got…a little carried away. Oops? Enjoy 😏 (PS -18+ only!)

»»————-　♡　————-««

You sighed lightly as you typed away, the clicking of the aging type writer keys starting to get to you. But it was better than nothing; besides the ticking of the clock, it was the only sound keeping you company. It was a slow day and for once there wasn’t much to occupy your time, so you had resorted to doing the menial paperwork you’d been putting off. You swore it made the time go by slower. Positive it must have been nearing five, or it surely should have been anyway, you allowed yourself to glance up.

A long groan immediately escaped your lips as you saw that it had been only about fifteen minutes since the last time you checked the clock. Impossible, you sighed internally, something must be wrong with it. Checking the fine gold watch on your wrist, you let out an even louder groan when you realized that it displayed the same time as the wall clock. This place had to be cursed or something.

Maybe you could sneak out early today and go for a walk…or something. It was a beautiful, sunny, perfectly warm day, and it felt like a shame to remain indoors doing practically nothing. But you knew that you’d never be allowed to leave early in case an important call came through. As if. The phone hadn’t rang a single time today.

But just before you could turn back to your paperwork, the sound of annoyed voices and quickly shuffling feet met your ears. You perked up at the sound, excited at the possibility of seeing some people today. Yeah, it had been a really boring day, and you hadn’t seen hide nor hair of many people. You stopped typing and trying to discern the voices as they neared.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Murphy,” ah yes, the unmistakable, annoyed tones of one Javier Pena, “she’s out of her damn mind.”

“We have to do this her way for once, Javi,” Steve’s exasperated response made you want to giggle, “we’ve got at least try and stay on her good side.”

“Fuck,” Javier seemed beyond annoyed as they rounded the corner and came into your view. You gave them both a small smile as they turned to walk into their shared office space. They’d been out doing field work for most of the day, and you were glad to have them back. They provided some form of amusement anyway, and listening to them bicker like children was fun at times, especially when they asked to settle things for them and pick a side.

“Hey,” they both turned to give you a wave as you repeated the gesture before dropping your head as a blush crept into your cheeks. There was always something about the way Javier’s dark eyes raked over you that made you feel like a giddy school girl.

Steve struggled with opening the door and Javier was clearly impatient as he watched his partner. He ran a hand over his tired face before letting out loud, “fuck me!”

You were biting on your bottom lip so hard to keep from giggling out loud, sure you would draw blood at any second. Instead you intently stared at the keys, but before you could knew what was happening or you could manage to stop yourself, you whispered, “gladly. Any day.”

Freezing in horror as you realized what you had done, your eyes widened as you glanced up to see if either of them had overheard you. It had meant to be a completely internal monologue with yourself, but somehow…fate, or whatever you wanted to call it, had a different idea. If Steve or Javi had overheard you, they didn’t indicate that anything had happened. Instead, Steve had finally managed to open the door and they went inside. Letting out a sigh of relief, you were sure that you were in the clear. It couldn’t have been more than a mere whisper, probably inaudible to anyone but yourself.

But it wasn’t. Oh no. Javier was astute as ever, and he had impeccable hearing. He heard you loud and clear, a little smirk working its way onto his face at your words. But he played it off, knowing that it hadn’t been intentional. No; you were much too sweet and demure to have ever said something like publicly. But now he knew that you reciprocated his feelings. Who would have thought?

»»————-　♡　————-««

As the dull morning turned into the afternoon, you thought you were going delirious from the monotony. But a figure soon cast a shadow over your work, and you looked up slowly, hoping it wouldn’t be the ambassador or anything. To your surprise and internal delight, it had turned out to be Javier. You gave him a small smile as you leaned back in your chair, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Do you want to go and get a coffee?” he asked as he perched himself on the edge of your desk, waiting you closely. You tried not to let your eyes linger for too long…but it was hard. Especially when he was wearing his tightest jeans and that damned pink button up.

“A coffee?” you repeated as he nodded. You knew what he meant, but decided to play dumb, feeling an odd rush of courage flood through your veins, “I’m perfectly fine to go and walk into the kitchen and get myself some of this gourmet bean water.”

“You know what I mean,” he smirked as he gave your long cold coffee from this morning a dismal once over, “you really gonna finish that?”

“As if,” you joked, pushing it a little further away from you, “what? Is Murphy too busy to be your date?”

“I don’t know,” he asked, taking a look back into his office briefly, “didn’t ask.”

“Oh?”

“That’s because I’m asking you,” he raised an eyebrow at you and you swore you could easily melt in your seat. Why did he have to have this type of effect on you, “don’t really care about him right now. So, what do you say?”

“Right now?”

“Of course,” he laughed, “I don’t get the impression that you’re terribly immersed in your work right now. We can’t get out for a little bit…go for a walk. A shame to waste to a beautiful day inside, no?”

“I-”

“You’re not going to miss anything. I guarantee it.”

“But-”

“It’s just a coffee, hermosa, it’s not a lifetime commitment.”

“Why me?”

“Why not you?” he posed as you let out an exasperated sigh. He wouldn’t let this go, of course he wouldn’t. He gave you such a sweet look, that you just knew he knew that you wouldn’t say no. But…this was Javier. Should you really trust him? You did, fully…but should you?

“Okay,” you agreed, trying to fight off the smile that was threatening to break your face. Javier slid of your desk and beckoned for you to follow, “wait? Right now?”

“No time like the present,” he insisted as you stood up and followed him, shaking your head in amusement. You reached for your purse but he shook his head, “don’t bother.”

“Why? It’s not like this is a date.”

“It can be whatever you want,” always so cryptic with his responses, and aloof. You weren’t sure how to respond, not wanting to make more of this than it was. But then again…what did you want it to be? Before overthinking it, you tucked your purse back inside your drawer and stepped around to follow him, “new dress?”

“I..yeah…how did you…?”

“I like it,” he gaze lingered on you for a moment longer than necessary, and you weren’t sure if you were glad you wore the new dress or loathing yourself. It had been a warm morning, and the office didn’t exactly have the best cooling system, so you had worn it mostly to not become a sweat soaked mess, but this…wasn’t so bad either. You had wondered at first if it was even work appropriate, thinking it might have shown a little too much cleavage. Maybe it was just right after all, “the color suits you.”

“Thanks Javi,” you started to head out, hoping he didn’t see the flush of your cheeks as you bowed your head. He noticed. He most definitely noticed. But what neither of you noticed was Steve from inside the office, still stuck on a call and waving wildly at you guys as you just walked away. Javier hadn’t mentioned a word to him. Oops. Steve closed his eyes and sighed as he sat back down. Typical Javi.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Coffee and a walk with Javier ended up being…pleasant, fun even. He was ever the gentleman, paying for your coffee (and dessert) making you laugh the entire time. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had smiled so much; he couldn’t either. He ended up suggesting a walk in one of his favorite spots in the city, a hidden little gem that you’d never seen before. It was a beautiful escape from the hustle of the city, a lush green little escape.

He ended up doing most of the talking, which you didn’t mind one bit. You could have listened to him for hours with that warm, honeyed voice. It just…hit different. A few times his hand had brushed against yours and while it momentarily crossed your mind that you should take a step to the side to give him space, you didn’t do that. You kind of…liked the feeling of his rough hand against yours. He didn’t mind either; you knew all the brushes couldn’t have been accidental.

By the time you’d gotten back to the office, you were sad to end your little outing. To go back to the monotony of work after such a lovely time was surely a sin. But unfortunately, soon enough, you were back at your desk, eyes feeling like they were glazing over from boredom. When Javi had stepped back into his and Steve’s office, you immediately heard Steve start to give Javi the third degree. You couldn’t hold back the small bits of laughter that bubbled up at the two men. They were worse than children sometimes. Javier caught your eye and made a dramatic face as just shrugged your shoulders.

»»————-　♡　————-««

And so your week carried on, just as dull and dry as Monday had been. Surely it had to be the slowest and most painful week of your entire career in Colombia. It appeared that everyone, even the criminals on your radar had taken a siesta as soon as the first bits of spring weather hit.

The only reprieve from the boredom came in the form of…Javi. Not that Javi hadn’t been friendly with you before - on the contrary. He had always been kind to you, treating with respect and as a friend, not just some secretary. But this week things seemed different, even more friendly than normal. It wasn’t an unwelcome change by any means, but it caught you completely off guard.

You had a fresh cup of coffee, the real stuff not the weak instant stuff from the kitchen, and a pastry waiting for you every morning. No note was attached, but one wasn’t required. You knew it immediately it was from Javi; he always managed to catch your eye and gave you a wink whenever you got in.

It was almost like he made it a point to find a reason to step out of his office whenever he had a chance, always coming by your desk to make some comment to you. You knew he didn’t have to step out to go to the bathroom that often, that he didn’t need anything from the kitchen every hour, but you didn’t question it. It was nice to have someone to shoot the breeze with, instead of falling asleep.

Friday still rolled around slowly, and by the time noon had approached you were allowing yourself to feel slightly excited. Soon enough you’d be able to escape the office and go home and drink that bottle of wine you’d been saving all week. It wasn’t particularly exciting, but it was better than sitting around and being bored to tears.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Javier pulled you out of your little daydream and back in reality as he leaned over your desks, his face mere inches from yours. You tried not to completely lose at his close proximity, but it was hard to stare at his handsome face, or how good he smelled.

“Nothing,” you admitted sheepishly and he raised an eyebrow at you, waiting for you to go on, “just thinking about how excited I am to get out of here and have the weekend off.”

“Oh? Exciting plans?” he asked and you almost burst into laughter.

“If by exciting plans you mean sitting on my couch and watching movies and drinking wine, then yes,” you answered with a shrug as he seemed to relax a little bit, a bit of tension leaving his face, “what about you? Any…exciting rendez-vous?”

“No,” he grimaced a little bit, and you wondered what was going on in his head, “but I was…do you want to go out tonight?”

“What?” your jaw dropped at his words. Surely you had heard him wrong. Surely he meant to ask someone other than you.

“Do you,” he pointed directly at you, “want to go out with me?”

“Ugh,” you started to panic a little bit as you realized what he was asking, “like…”

“A date,” he finished for you, a bit of amusement coloring his features, “I’ll break it down even further, hermosa, I, Javier, am asking you, Y/N, if you would like to go out to dinner tonight, as a date and not just friends.”

You were positive you were blushing like mad as you hid your face behind your hands. You didn’t know what you prompted this, or all the attention he had been showering you with this week, but it had warmed your soul. At first you thought it might be some sort of joke, or something, but you knew Javi would never do that. He was a better man than that. Javi let out a warm laugh at your sudden shyness, reaching for your hands and pulling them away from your face, giving you a curious glance as he anticipated your response. You bit your lip but nodded before quietly voicing your agreement, “yes…that sounds lovely.”

“Great,” he grinned at you, gently drumming his fingers along your desk, “it’s a date then. We can go when we’re off.”

“Aren’t you off later than I am?”

“I’m off whenever I want to be,” he was getting cheeky as he shot you a wink, “so I’ll be off whenever you are.”

“Whatever you say, Agent Peña,” you teased, “I’ll find you when I’m off.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was quickly interrupted by Steve shouting for him…again. It wasn’t lost on him at all how much Javier seemed to frequent your desk lately, making many more stops than possibly necessary. Normally he wouldn’t say anything, but for the first time all week, they actually had something to do.

“I’ll see you soon, hermosa,” it was more of a promise than a statement and he walked back in, already shaking his head at Steve. You let out a small sound of delight, only to yourself, as you turned your attention back to work. How were you possible going to focus on doing anything else when you actually had something to look forward to?

»»————-　♡　————-««

By the time you were finished for the day, you gathered your things and looked for Javi. He was still in his office, on a call, an annoyed expression etched on his features. Steve on his way out, to which Javier only responded with him flipping him the bird. He gave you a wave on the way out and stood in the door way of their office, leaning against the door.

“Javi,” you called his name softly and he looked up at you, giving you a sorry look as he pointed at the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear. You nodded in understanding and strolled over to him, sitting down on the edge of his desk, just as he’d done to you all week. His eyes widened in surprise, but a different kind of look soon worked its way onto his features.

You were wearing a dress again, similar to the one from earlier in the week; this one was purposely chosen, cherry picked to catch his eye. Which it had, causing him to almost break his neck as he did a double take when you arrived in the morning.

Swinging your legs back and forth, you waited for him to finish, unsure of how much longer he would take. But Javi had other plans, naturally. He put a hand your calf, causing you to falter your motions in surprise for a moment, before slowly bringing his hand up to your thigh, just under the soft fabric of your dress. At first his brashness surprised you, but then, what surprised you even more, was the fact that you didn’t want him to stop. Instead you placed your hand on top of his and slowly slid it further up your leg, bringing it closer and closer to your heat.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched, trying to make sure you knew what you were starting. You eyes never left his as you settled his hand at the apex of your thighs. You had no clue what suddenly possessed to be so bold. Here you were, in the open were anyone could walk in, shamelessly wanting Javi to touch you.

Javi slowly slipped your panties to the side, dragging a long finger through your folders, a wicked look crossing his features when he realized how wet you were already. For him. You rocked your hips slightly against his fingers, silently encouraging him to do more, to touch you as much as he wanted.

“I’ve ugh…I’ve got to go…something just came up,” he said suddenly as he practically slammed the phone back down on the receiver. You let out a soft sound as he added another finger and started touching your sensitive bundle of nerves, “you’re going to be the death of me, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you joked as you gave him your best, innocent doe eyes. He made a small sound, akin to a growl as he pulled removed his fingers from you. You huffed lightly at the loss, a small sound escaping your lips. Quickly he placed his large hands on your hips, wasting no time in pulling you into his lap. You grinned up at him with a quickly little smile, “hello there.”

“You’re a little minx, aren’t you?” he asked as you put your hands on the sides of his face, tracing gently over his features, just like all the times you had imagined doing so in your wildest dreams. He watched you with curiosity, amazed by the combination of both your boldness and gentleness. He grabbed one of your hands and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles, “but also a gentle thing. What a combination.”

“Just like you,” you responded, leaning forward and resting your forehead against his, closing your eyes to savor the moment. He rested a hand on your back, tracing aimless shapes and patterns onto your skin. You grinned slightly, “Javi.”

“I really want to go to dinner,” he said quietly, his lips brushing against yours, the tickle of his mustache making you grin, “but ugh…”

You shifted slightly in his lap, and knew exactly what he was referring as his hardness became evident. Unable to control yourself at all, you pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss to his lips, “dinner can wait. How about dessert first?”

“Right here?” he almost choked on the words as you nodded. It was bold, even for him. But somehow the thrill of it all, the idea of being caught was enough to drive him wild. Slowly standing up, earning a low groan from him, you walked over to the door and closed it, locking it before closing the blinds.

“Don’t you want some dessert, Javi?”

[stachmousworld]

Steve is dumb (part 1)

Pairing: First Bucky x Y/N but endgame Steve x Y/N

Tags: Somnophilia kink, Daddy kink, vaginal fingering, a lot of teasing too, unprotected sex, breeding kink.

CONTEXT (It’s a lot so bear with me):

Family situation: Y/N’s mom died when she was younger. Y/N was raised by her dad, who later married another woman, Sylvie. Then divorced her. Sylvie is now Steve’s wife. Y/N lives at their, Sylvie and Steve, house because it is closer to college.

Y/N is well into her twenties. The age gap between Steve/Bucky and her is around 10 years. Sylvie is older than Steve. And Y/N’s dad is older than Sylvie.

So, Steve and Bucky are in their thirties, Sylvie her forties and Y/N’s dad his fifties. Phew…

I hope it was easy to understand. To make this story less porn-y, with the famous “plot what plot” that we find in most pornos, I had to go through so many loops to try and make it “believable”.

Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

 Bucky didn’t really why he came. When Steve had talked to him about a brunch, he had been genuinely excited. But now he was there, he regretted. 

Why did he keep falling into Steve’s trap...it wasn’t the first time Steve had persuaded him to come to these kinds of gatherings, and despite knowing him for decades, Bucky fell head first into this trap.

The food so far was bland and Steve’s wife, Sylvie, was grating his nerves. Bucky raised his glass toward Sylvie. She glared at him and spun around. Bucky smirked behind his glass happy.

“Your mom is really a treasure,” he joked to Steve’s stepdaughter next to him.

The young woman sighed and nodded. Bucky sipped his drink watching the young lady next to him. Her mahogany skin shone under the sunlight. Her hair was braided and raised in a high pony. She had traded her sunglasses for her prescription ones, making her whiskey eyes look bigger and more innocent. 

 Bucky unconsciously leaned toward her and took in her sweet scent. A mix between her perfume, shea butter, and hair products. He clenched his fingers trying to get a hold on himself. 

 “So –” 

“Baby girl, I hope Buck’ is not annoying you,” Steve joked as he stopped in front of them. Bucky rolled his eyes at Steve’s misplaced protectiveness. It was his own fault for missing his opportunity. She blushed and played with the hem of her dress. Well, that was quite unexpected.

“It’s okay, Steve,” she mumbled, eyes dropping to the grass. Steve was about to reply when someone called him. He patted her back and made his way to the table. 

“So, Steve, huh?”

Her head snapped up. “What about him?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. “I’m not blind. I have seen how you looked at him.”

She struggled to speak for a couple of seconds. He watched her face closely and recognized the signs of someone who was ready to flee.

“I’m not judging. It’s normal.”

“Really?” she asked, hopeful. Her body relaxed. Slightly. 

Bucky internally rejoiced. If he played his cards right, he’d be able to help Steve. The poor lad only got one braincell and it only worked once in the blue moon. That explained why he was married to a gold digger, who had been sleeping with her ex behind Steve’s back. Steve knew it but didn’t want to divorce for some obscure reasons.

“Yep, it’s the most researched practice on any porn site,” he said, as a matter of fact. Her blush intensified and she looked away. 

“Yeah,” she agreed, a little too unsure. 

Why would she...? Realization dawned upon him. “You’ve never been on a porn site?”

She choked on her saliva. Bucky’s grin grew wider. Well, that was unexpected.

 “Are you a virgin?” He blurted. 

Her eyes bulged. She spluttered and looked around quickly. As she made her move to escape, Bucky grabbed her arm. His grip was loose enough for her to break free. 

 “It’s okay, I’m not going to judge you. It was merely a personal question. And I’m sorry for being intrusive. I forget that people generally don’t like to be questioned.”

She stared at his hand around her arm. He let her go. She shook her arm and crossed them under her breasts, pushing them higher.

Bucky appreciated the sight. He licked his lips and rearranged himself. If Steve didn’t want her, he’d gladly accept any caress from her.

“It’s okay,” she said, clearly meaning the opposite. Bucky put on his best sad puppy face. If being friend with Steve has taught him something, it was this ability. Steve has always been better than him. But Bucky had been a quick learner.

“I really meant no harm. Steve has talked a lot about you.” Her entire demeanor changed. She uncrossed her arms and smiled softly. “No…” He said, looking torn. He looked away and pretended to be guilty of revealing too much. “I’m sorry I can’t talk about it. It’s wrong.”

“No, wait!” She exclaimed, placing her hand on his bicep. “You said it was normal. So, there is nothing wrong if Steve feels like that, right?” Bucky grinned inwardly. Gotcha! He thought.

“Yes, but…it’d be like taking advantage of you and I don’t want that,” he explained, still faking his contrite.

“I’m of age and Steve didn’t raise me. And I’ve known him before my stepmom.”

 “To whom she is married,” he added. She seemed to think about it for a second.

 “But if Sylvie doesn’t know about it…”

“Would you be able to have sex with Steve knowing he has sex with your stepmom.”

Her mahogany skin turned pale. She grimaced, pressing a hand on her stomach. 

“That’s disgusting!” She screamed, indignant.

Bucky cursed himself. What the hell! He was supposed to help Steve and now he fucked it up. All trace of arousal left his body. She quickly made her way to the table, not looking once behind.

This time, Bucky didn’t try to make her stay. Added to that, Steve, who witnessed the entire ordeal, was glaring at him. Bucky flipped him off and walked to the table, where everyone was gathered.

The only seat available was next to Steve’s stepdaughter. She has avoided looking at him for the first part of the brunch, but now she was more relaxed and even laughed at his jokes. Until the conversation turned to something more sexual. Bucky thanked the Lord for this new chance to help Steve.

“I’m never going to let you do that to me, Brad!” A blond woman exclaimed, making all of them jump.“That’s disgusting.”

“I don’t judge your kinks don’t judge mine,” Brad grumbled. He unclenched and clenched his fingers around his fork and knife.

“That’s not kink that’s rape,” she retorted, with a disgusted grimace.

“I already told you, Sash’, when it is consensual, it is not rape,” Brad said through gritted teeth.

“How can someone consent if they are not awake.”

Brad took a deep breath. “People, on the receiver side, give their consent while awake. They plan it. So no, it’s not rape.” His wife’s face went redder by the minute. Brad rolled his eyes, visibly bracing himself for the blow up.

“Did you do that to me? Did you rape me, Bradley!” She shrieked, standing up.

“You know what Sasha, go fuck yourself! I have never raped anyone, and you know it,” he answered, barely raising his voice. The only proof that he was furious was the way he gripped his fork and knife.

Sasha snickered. “How would I know if I’m asleep.”

Brad laughed, bitter. “Awake, you complain like a little bitch because I’m too big. So, I’m pretty sure you’d feel it. With all the bragging you surely do, I’d think you knew how to take a dick.” He placed his cutlery down. “At least you know I’m not with you for your sexual abilities.”

Sasha looked around and suddenly started crying. She mumbled a few accusations and ran in the house. Brad looked down, took a few breaths, and kept eating. The others, who have stopped talking, looked at each other wearily.

“You should eat, she won’t come back,” Brad spoke after wiping the corners of his mouth. Steve glanced at Bucky who shrugged.

“What did they talk about?” The young woman whispered to him. It took some time to understand what she asked about.

“Forget about it,” she replied quickly, misinterpreting his silence. “Somnophilia,” he said, nonchalant, as if the topic wasn’t a part of his favorite kinks. He felt a stir in his groin just talking about it. She raised her eyebrows and repeated the word silently.

“Why did she think it was rape?”

“One person, the receiver, gives their consent to their partner to have sex with them while they are asleep,” he explained visibly calm. Inside his blood was rushing to his neither region.

“Oh,” was her only answer. She played with her food, eyes darting toward Steve, who was laughing at a stupid joke. It had to be a stupid joke, only them could make Steve laugh like that, anyway.

“It’s one of Steve’s favorite kink,” Bucky added. He was particularly enjoying playing matchmaker.

“Really?”

“Hm. We talked about it a few times and he was always…” Bucky pretended to be embarrassed. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t talk to you about that.” He started eating his food, which still had no flavor. He suppress a grimace.

“No, you can. Like I told you I’m off age.”

She placed her hand on his thigh. Bucky tensed under the warm touch. He unconsciously licked his lips. Was she teasing him? He tilted his head and examined her face.

Nah, she looked innocent.

“Okay, but it’s between us,” he warned up. She nodded eagerly. “What do you want to know?”

“Why does he like it so much?” Her bambi eyes rendered him speechless. He didn’t know he had a thing for innocent girls. Most of his relationships had been with experimented people. Bucky struggled with girls like her. He was scared of taking one bite and being stuck forever. Because this sweet girl would be as addictive as a drug. He was sure of it. Just sitting next to her put him on edge. 

Damn Steve…

Bucky leaned closer. “First, your consent would be extremely sexy. Knowing that your partner gives you that much power is thrilling. Can you imagine, Steve comes back at night and wants to give you good night kiss” Her breath hitched. She didn’t seem averse to this idea. “He knocks on your door, but you are already asleep. So, he opens the door and get in. He looks at you with longing and love, but the real reason he came to you was else. He undressed completely and walks toward you. As he does, he caressed himself, thinking of your sweet pussy around him.” She chocked on the water she was drinking. Bucky patted her back and reassured the others. She was beetroot red, despite her complexion. Her eyes were now dark brown and burned with desire.

Steve cleared his throat attracting the others’ attention, not before sending a suspicious look to Bucky, who raised his hands in mock defense. Steve shook his head, muttering something.

“Are you okay?” Bucky asked her. She nodded vehemently. Her face still looked red but less than before.

“Can you continue, please?” She asked, timidly.

Bucky didn’t have to be told twice.

Part 2

[twokinkybeans]

Stark On Ice Chapter 5: Glitter and Gold (Starker Figure Skating AU)

Read here on AO3!

-

Chapter 5: Glitter and Gold

Peter groans at the sound of his alarm. The loud, blaring tune is pulling him back into consciousness after a good night’s rest. He grabs his phone to turn the alarm off and ponders sneaking in an extra five minutes just because he’s so comfortable within these soft, thick sheets. However, the amount of notifications has him frowning. He only needs a few seconds of skimming through them to feel the blood drain from his face.

No.

No, no, no!

There are too many missed calls. Too many texts about him and Tony, and when he opens one of them, his heart sinks. Tony and he have been caught kissing. Peter sinks into the sheets a little more to trick his nerves into settling down. Obviously, they don’t. His fingers dial MJ’s number almost automatically. He knows he should call Tony too, but MJ is honest and objective, and she always knows what to do. She’ll tell him how bad the situation is. “Peter Benjamin Parker, what the fuck have you-”

Bad. The situation is bad. 

And right at that moment, Peter can see his career crumbling before his very own eyes. Everything he’s worked for. Everything his parents worked for. The legacy they left behind for him. None of that matters anymore. He’s done. “MJ,” he chokes out, tears threatening to blur his vision. His voice is small. It’s a wonder MJ even caught her name falling from his lips. She quickly catches on to Peter’s clear panicked state and quips a quick ‘stay right where you are; I’m coming over’ before she ends the call. Peter stares at his lock screen. He ignores the notifications that are still flowing in- wave after wave after wave.

Tony. He has to call Tony.

 -

Not much later, they’re all squeezed around Peter’s small dining table. MJ, Steve, Tony, and of course, Happy too. Though the latter has pulled his seat a little further back- clearly not wanting to be involved in the drama. Peter doesn’t blame him. Working for Tony Stark must be tiring. “I warned you, I-” “Steve, we didn’t do this on purpose!” “Still!” “My security system didn’t alarm me. I figured we were safe.” “Safe,” MJ deadpans “-god. Y’all gotta stop blaming each other. We know neither of you did this on purpose, so all we gotta do now is figure out a solution.” Peter sends her a grateful smile before turning to Tony.

“Have you dealt with something like this before? Do you know how to shut it down?” Tony nods slowly. Not a good sign. Tony can be stubborn. Frustrated. But he never displays a sign of powerlessness as he does now. “Media is too fast. Trying to stop the fire is a lost cause. We either confirm or deny.”

They’re quiet for a moment. Peter isn’t sure what to say next. Lying… He hates lying. Doesn’t think it’ll help solve issues in the long run. Lying will probably only make it worse. But if they admit the truth… He doesn’t even want to think about the possible consequences. Steve groans and leans forward on his elbows resting on the table. “I talked to the PR-team quickly. They recommended to try and keep this quiet until at least the end of the season. Three more weeks.” Tony shakes his head at that. “People aren’t going to wait that long. Celebrity Spin-Off is too commercial. People are too invested. They won’t let it slide, trust me. We ain't straight enough.” Peter lets the words sink in. He wonders if there’s an easy way out of this at all. Probably not. If there is, they would’ve known. “What if we…” he starts. Steve and Tony raise their heads at him. MJ only grins. “Keep going.” “Well, an official statement is way too heavy. I mean, of course, we’re two men, but we’re adults, and nothing about this kiss is illegal. If we make it too heavy for ourselves, people will think of it as a scandal too.” “So you’re saying to ignore it? I told you that won’t-” 

“No, Tony, hear me out.” Peter takes another breath. “We don’t say shit. We skate our routine. By the end, we kiss each other. Confirming what the public already knows anyway.”

MJ nods approvingly and wants to give him a high five, but Steve shakes his head. “You could eliminate yourselves like that if people don’t vote-” This time, it’s Tony who speaks up. “Y’know what, I agree with Peter. They already know what’s going on anyways. Heck, I got myself tangled up in this show by accident because I didn’t want to play along with the “everyone in the skating world is straight”-norm. I’d rather get eliminated over a kiss than rumors, and eh, it’s just a show anyway. I don’t mind if we don’t win.” Steve throws his arms up. “Alright, alright, you’re right. It’s not our TV show. Skating is what we do best. If this is what you want, I’ll play along with you.” Peter glows up. He has worked with both Steve and MJ from the very start of his actual skating career at the Midtown Ice Arena, and the fact that they both support him means the world.

“Hey Peter, shouldn’t you be at-” Ned’s mouth drops when he sees Tony Stark. The boy is standing in the doorway, still wearing his PJ’s, his laptop clutched to his chest. “H-Hi?”

-

Peter and Tony skate towards the middle of the rink. It’s time for their second choreo of the night. The music hasn’t started yet, so it’s simple, easy forward strokes until they come to a halt. Peter can tell Tony finally masters his skates outside their choreos too. The subtle movements are smooth and steady. Peter is proud of him. Of his hard work and dedication toward something he’d never done before.

I am flesh and I am bone Rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

Peter grins, their tight outfits shining in the spotlights. Blinding Lights. Peter huffs quietly, not showing it but having fun about his little inward joke. They’d performed the altered version of that choreo for that earlier this night. His arm aches a little now, but it’s doable. He’s skated with worse pains before. Like that time he broke his little toe. Or the time- No. Focus. 

Peter jumps swiftly into Tony’s arms for the stationary lift- careful to keep his blades away from Tony’s body. Tony catches him easily and supports his back with the warm, big, broad hands. Peter loves being held like this. It's almost bridal style, the way they're holding one another. God, Tony is so handsome from up close. The stubble on his cheeks. Little marks and spots are covering the skin and showing the man's many years of experience here on earth.

I've got fire in my soul Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

On the first ‘ting’, Peter throws his head back and lifts his right leg up straight. The next, he comes back in bridal style and easily slides down until his knees rest on Tony’s upper legs. From there, the music picks up, and Peter rolls his shoulders down sensually while Tony bends his knees further. Their foreheads press together, and Peter licks his lips as he resists the urge to kiss the man already. Peter then lowers his skates back onto the ice and lets go of Tony when he feels the grip. Lowering his body, coming back up with a sexy body roll. The audience whistles. Peter grins and reaches his arm out to grab Tony’s hand, wincing slightly at the sharp pain shooting through his deltoid. Fuck. He keeps smiling though and refocuses on the next part of the sequence. Twizzles. Then, skating their short eight-figure before both lifting a leg to slide forward in a paired spiral.

Do you ponder the manner of things In the dark The dark, the dark, the dark

Forward strokes. Peter quickly glances at Tony before he changes his hand position. The man looks so happy. So proud of himself. Peter smiles and nods at Tony as a sign he’s ready for the loop lift. It’s a challenging lift for Peter as he always has to keep himself from jumping too high- it’s not a loop jump. So instead, he pushes himself off the ice just enough for Tony to lift him, spin the both of them around and then put him back down. 

I am flesh and I am bone Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold

Here comes the most challenging part. Peter grits his teeth together. He’s done the death spiral so often he isn’t scared of it. Tony is a bit, though.

I've got fire in my soul Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Peter tries to give Tony the most encouraging smile he can muster up as they shift their hand positions. They start circling and spinning, and once they’ve got momentum, Peter takes a leap of faith and lowers himself into the death spiral.

'Cause everybody's in the backroom's Spinning up Don't know what you're asking for

Tony grips him tightly- the two-handed version still – and Peter feels so fucking free as the man spins him around and around. They’re going a tad too slow, so Peter squeezes Tony’s hand as a sign to pull him back up. Thank god the man catches on. To drag out time now that they're up early, Peter wraps his arms around Tony’s neck gently- both their bodies still spinning on the spot.

And everybody's in the front room's Tripping out You left your bottle at the door

They come to a halt, their chests falling and rising rapidly due to the exercise. Simultaneously, the song has the breathy part- thanks to Steve for the little detail. From there, they both know there’s only one bit left before the song comes to an end. “You got this,” Peter whispers quickly before they break away from one another. The turn, facing the same end of the rink as they start running. Actual running, on the ice. They go faster and faster until halfway through, they both drop onto one knee and lean into a deep backbend as they slide forward. The audience goes wild. Steve knows how much Peter loves Johnny Weir, a famous Olympic figure skater, for his unconventional costumes and choreos. When Steve told Peter they were going to use his signature move, Peter had been thrilled. They hadn’t been so sure about Tony being able to pull it off, but the man was way more flexible than he seemed, and here they are. Peter feels ecstatic.

Like glitter and gold Like glitter Like glitter and gold Like glitter

They slow down. Leaning back up. They moved into some sort of V-shape, closer and closer to the other, so now that their knees are almost touching, they pull each other in closer until Tony is fully kneeling and has Peter splayed out in his lap. The song ends. The audience almost starts to cheer, but not before Tony leans in and passionately crashes their lips together. Tony’s lips are salty from the exercise, yet so soft and firm and already contain a strange hint of familiarity. Peter moans slightly, deepening the kiss now that they still can. He’s reeling with the loud applause and cheers and confused noises coming from the crowd around them. He knows they made the right decision.

After a few seconds, he reluctantly pulls back. Turning around proudly and sticking his still good arm in the air. He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. Not with the people seated in the first row, not with Beck, who made his way on the ice for the standard post-choreo interview. Peter simply stands there.

This is me. He thinks. Mom and dad, this one's for you. I’m taking back control of the ice.

-

Masterpost Next Chapter (to be uploaded)

[stanknotstark]

Astral Pt. 13 (Loki x Reader)

I’m introducing ANOTHER character :D Morgan is very interesting and her powers are like Kang’s I’m very curious as to who would win in a fight tbh i wish i could’ve written an action scene because she can mind control and OH the drama that I could have played with! You guys are lucky cuz i had something worse written >:D

You and Loki are eating breakfast together in silence. When you finish your plate Loki tells you to grab a book from his quarters, while he finishes, so he can help you research Asgard. Then meet him in the common area since no one is there right now. 

Loki likes to teach you and watch your curiosity flare as you read up on Asgard, its customs, how healers work, how royalty works, instead of telling you. It’s the least he can do since you’ll never actually see Asgard in person. He’s a fantastic storyteller but you know he has a weakness, that weakness being that when you truly concentrate on something sometimes you stick your tongue out a bit and narrow your eyes. Other times you look at the book with guileless fascination. Plus, Loki knows there’s more satisfaction from learning on your own. He’s always there to answer your questions and debate with you though.

You walk back into the common area after grabbing the book, Loki looks at you, then a cloud of dark green appears between you both. Before you can react accordingly feminine arms are yanking you into the cloud of magic and you’re in someone’s arms definitely not at the tower anymore. You can only imagine what Loki is thinking. The last thing he probably saw was the book fall when you dropped it. Now he’s probably thinking the worst is going to happen, that you’re going to die, and honestly you don’t know what’s going on. For all you know you might actually be about to die. 

You try to wave off the nausea and dizziness following the teleportation you endured and assess your surroundings but someone is roughly pulling you somewhere. Just as you get your wits back there is a tight rope constricting your hands behind your back and around your ankles. You’re shoved into a rocky wall, twisting, back first causing you to let out a breathless grunt and slide into a sitting position on the ground.

Looking up you see a beautiful woman. She stands tall, her chin out in confidence. Her pale, petite face is framed by pitch black hair, the long tendrils held in braids resting on her chest and trailing to her hips they’re so long. She wears a green and black corset that flows into thigh armor that is engraved. No not engraved, made of actual scales, you shiver at the thought of what could have scales that big, nothing from Earth that’s sure. To end her amazing outfit, her green with black lace boots are thigh highs. You can faintly smell leather and something sweet you’ve never smelled before. You’re pretty sure this woman could be a really good dominatrix if she wanted to.

“That was much easier than expected. If the Avengers are Earth’s best defenders I’m disappointed, to say the least.” The woman tells you looking at her nails in boredom. You pick out her British accent.

You realize you’re not in immediate danger and say, “While I don’t mind getting kidnapped by beautiful women I usually like to know their names first, maybe take me on a date before you bring me back to your place.”

The woman chuckles. “My name is Morgan Le Fay of Britain, the world’s strongest sorceress, Morgana. That is until you came along.”

You frown. “That’s a mouthful.” 

Morgana shakes her head with a small smile. “Cute.”

“Look I’m not that powerful, I think you have the wrong person, most of the magic I use I can’t use for long because it gives me migraines.” You say while shifting around to get more comfortable. 

You finally take in your surroundings. All you can assess is that you’re in a cave, no telling how far from New York City, home. You know Loki could track you down if you could astral project but you don’t trust Morgana enough to take your eyes off of her. Maybe Tony is tracking your cell phone which you feel sitting in your back pocket. 

“Such a shame you’ll never discover your true potential. I’m here to kill you, child, but I had to get a taste of what runs through your blood before I do.” Morgana says kneeling in front of you. 

Morgana brings a hand to your head and when she touches you she gasps and closes her eyes. You simply watch from under her hand as she shivers. When she pulls her hand away her eyes are bright with curiosity but far away in thought. 

“Why would your mother want to kill someone so powerful, I would think having you on her side would be more preferable.” Morgana says under her breath. You only hear her because she’s so close to you. 

“My mother sent you?” You say trying to stall now that you know her intentions. 

Morgana hums. 

“I know my mother doesn’t love me but I never thought she’d send a glorified assassin after me. I’m honored, honestly.” You say your fingers playing with the rope around your wrists seeing if you could escape somehow. “How does my mother know you anyways, she doesn’t have any powers why would she know a sorceress?” 

Morgana frowns at you, “I like your humor in the face of death.” She quips with a hint of annoyance at your nonchalance of the situation, “When a celestial tells me to do something I tend to not question it.” You look at Morgana like she’s crazy then you watch as realization dawns on her face. 

“My child...You truly do not know?” 

You stop fiddling with the rope and look at Morgana with a raised eyebrow. “Know what? And I’m not a child.”

“Your true birth mother, celestial Madonna.” Morgana says ignoring your plea to be respected.

At this you freeze and lose all the breath in your lungs. 

Thor was right, you’re adopted.

“It was prophesied that celestial Madonna would give birth to the most powerful being in the universe. Kang wanted to be father to such child and hunted her down. He impregnated her, held her captive until she birthed you. She fled when she had the chance but couldn’t take you with her.” Morgana explains while standing and pacing the cave’s floor. “Kang, who was being chased by the Avengers, planted you in an alternate universe and time. No one has known where you were until a few years ago when you used magic for the first time.” Morgana finishes, stopping and looking down at you.

She gives you a look of pity as you process everything. It all made sense now. Kang wants you to be his weapon of destruction. Why your parents have always hated you and treated you like shit. 

“My mother wants me dead and sent you to do her dirty work...Meaning she’s alive somewhere?” You ask trying to not panic with the influx of information.

“She’s here on Earth until she knows you’re dead. Said you’re more of a liability than anything. I’m being paid handsomely for your head.” Morgana says. She then brings a hand up and flicks it. Dark green magic flows and through the smokey magic you see a quin jet then see flashes of Loki, Steve, Natasha, Tony, and Thor talking, concerned and frightened looks on their faces but hear nothing. 

“Your friends are near.” Is all Morgana says like it’s an afterthought. She makes the magic disappear and looks at you with determination. “I have a proposition for you, child.”

You’re not really in the position to argue so you nod at her.

“Promise me you’ll hunt down Kang and right before you deliver the last strike on his miserable life you call on me and let me do it. While I love your mother dearly I have a penchant for revenge.”

“Fine.” You say. At this Morgana looks at you, sizing you up, but decides you’re harmless enough and makes the rope around your wrists and ankles disappear. When you stand she magics a gold ring with a square emerald on it and gives it to you. 

“When the time comes throw this on the ground and stomp on it with your foot then stand back, I shall appear where the ring is.”

You nod and slip the ring onto your right ring finger finding that it fits perfectly. 

“Do not use it for anything else, it is a one time use. If you use it for something trivial I will kill you without hesitation, our deal will be void.” Morgana says, she frowns and without asking places a hand on your head again. This time you feel her magic search your mind and gasp when she does something that makes you feel energetic and calm.

When Morgana pulls her hand away she explains, “Your powers were behind a barrier, I simply destroyed it. You should be able to wield magic without headaches now but you’re going to use your full power unless you learn how to tame it. Do not kill yourself or I’ll bring you back to life just to kill you again.”

You look at Morgana in disbelief and annoyance because she keeps threatening your life.

 She gives you a sympathetic look. “I’m truly sorry such a fate has fallen on you, child.” And then she’s gone and you’re left in a dark cave. 

You hadn’t even realized Morgana had used magic to light up the space you both inhabited until you’re left standing in pitch black. Without hesitation you light up both fists with fire and start to make your way out of the cave. You plan to contact Loki when you truly know where you are. However, when you reach the entrance you see the quin jet landing in an open field not that far from the cave’s entrance on the side of a mountain. The first person out of the ship is Loki and he is sprinting towards you, Thor not far behind with Steve and Nat pulling the flank. 

When Loki reaches you you open your mouth to tell him you’re ok but he pulls you into his chest hard and squeezes you till you’re breathless. Then he holds you at arms length and looks over your face first, then body.

“Are you hurt, did she use any magic on you?” He asks urgently.

“I’m fine, Loki, we just talked, she’s not a danger to us.” You say with a small smile that you’re sure doesn’t reach your eyes because Loki doesn’t lose the concerned look on his face. He doesn’t push it either though. Thor stays suspiciously silent when he reaches you both. He touches you as if to check that you’re real but drops his hand and claps Loki on the back more for calming him instead of camaraderie.

You look at Steve and Nat with a small wave and embarrassed grimace when Loki, Thor, and you reach them as you all walk towards the quin jet. After you’ve told them multiple times that you’re fine they all relax a bit but not by much. You mostly feel embarrassed you were taken so easily. You didn’t even put up a fight.

You’re sitting in the quin jet quiet other than to answer their questions without going into details because you’re still trying to unravel what you’ve been told. 

“Why did she take you?” Steve asks, standing in front of you, arms crossed, with Nat next to him while Loki sits at your side, holding your hand. You know he has questions because his fingers keep playing with the new ring on your hand and he gives you looks you can’t decipher. Thor is speaking with Tony in the cockpit so you’re free of their questions until later thankfully.

“She wants me to find Kang so she may kill him.” You say.

Thankfully Loki and Thor had told the group of superheroes who Kang was after the incident with the Growing Man. They told them what they knew of the man which honestly wasn’t much. 

At your words you feel Loki stop playing with the ring. He understands its purpose now. He must have used his magic to look over the ring and see if it was a danger to anyone but especially you, sensing it had magic dwelling in it.

“That doesn’t explain why she took you specifically. She could have told all of us. She didn’t have to kidnap you.” Natasha says knowing you enough to know you’re hiding valuable information. 

You frown and look at your feet. “I-”

You go quiet and everyone stays quiet too, you listen to the engine of the quin jet and Thor and Tony bickering in the background. You think about how Loki’s hand fits perfectly in yours and is soft but has rough patches of callouses from his use of daggers. You take a deep breath in through your nose, closing your eyes, and smell leather, sweat, and that smell the quin jet emits like a new car. 

When you open your eyes you look up at Steve and Natasha and ask, “How did you find me?” 

Natasha frowns at your very obvious deflection. Steve answers. “Tony tracked your cell phone but it’s thanks to Loki we found you so fast. He used his magic to track your magic or something.” Steve says uncrossing his arms and shrugging while glancing at Loki.

You look at Loki who raises a brow at you. “Our bond.” Is all he says at your inquisitive look. You nod in understanding. 

“Where are we, exactly?” You ask them.

“The border of New York and Pennsylvania.” Steve says. That explains why they were able to reach you so quick. If Morgana teleported you so close that means your stalling is the only reason you’re alive. She planned to make you a quick death.

When Nat opens her mouth to ask you another question you shake your head at her. “I’m exhausted can I take a nap before I tell you everything?” You ask, realizing you’ve got at least 45 minutes of free time since the jet isn’t going full speed.

Nat looks a little apologetic and Steve nods and says, “We’re happy you’re ok.” and then they both make their way to the opposite side of the quin jet. 

You and Loki settle into the quin jet’s seats as comfortably as you can. He stays suspiciously quiet about everything but brings an arm up and around your shoulders and lets you lay your head on his shoulder where it meets his neck. When you’re settled he keeps holding your hand but his free hand around your shoulder comes up to stroke your hair. It doesn’t take long to fall asleep. 

Pt. 12.1/Pt. 13/?

Tage list: @justfangirlthingies​ @emelieh99​ @high-functioning-lokipath​ @loveableasshole​ 

[imanativeofswlondondahling]

Becoming A Stark? (2) Peter Parker x Stark! femReader

A/N: In celebration of finishing a class that has literally been six weeks of hell, I thought why not post chapter two. I had a blast writing this chapter because I love Natasha. Anyway, enjoy, and as always, let me know if you want to be tagged or your thoughts:)

Word count: 4596

Warnings: swearing, think that’s it

Chapter One (If You Missed It) || Master List 

You’ve been staring at the ceiling for hours. You had told Tony you were heading to bed at ten, mainly because you couldn’t stand him looking at you any more, especially since he looked at you like you were going to disappear most of the time. It was straight up creepy. Add to everything, you’re starving. A grumbly stomach and a mind that doesn’t want to shut off makes it impossible to go to sleep. You check Wallace and you’re sitting at 136, which isn’t surprising since you didn’t really eat anything but veggies at dinner since Tony didn’t realize that you were vegetarian so there wasn’t much besides veggies that you could eat of the food that Steve had made. You need real food though or you’re never going to sleep. In your mind you trace through how to get to the kitchen and you think you can get there without getting lost or waking up the other Avengers. 

Opening your door, you peak your head out just to see if you spy anyone down the hallway. Seeing the coast is clear, you step softly onto the floor outside your door, almost waiting for an alarm to go off yelling that you’re leaving your room. But after a few heartbeats thudding in your ears and nothing happening, you decide to make your way down the steps to the kitchen. “Jarvis?” You whisper.

“Yes, Miss Y/N?” The voice booms over the speakers that you haven’t seen.

“Shhhh. Take it down a few levels. And turn the lights on in the kitchen.”

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” The lights are blinding after being in your room in the dark for so long.

“Jarvis, dim the lights by uh 75%.”

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” The lights drop drastically and you feel more comfortable. Walking to the pantry, you look for something easy to make. There are ingredients for fancier dishes that you have no patience to make, so instead you reach for a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and then make your way to the fridge to look for jelly. Setting your ingredients on the counter, you grab a paper towel to make your sandwich on before setting on your way of making your sandwich. 

“Midnight snack? Or well two am snack?” A voice suddenly comes from the other side of the island and you nearly jump out of your skin.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Your hand slams to your chest as you knife clatters to the counter. “Do you try to scare people to death?”

“To be fair you did move in with an ex-assassin.” Natasha says with a soft smile as she sits down on the bar stool across from where you stand. 

“It wasn’t by choice.”

“I had a feeling.” Natasha’s red hair is pulled into a low ponytail. Her eyes rome over you, seeing the bits of Tony that are in you even though you didn’t know you were related until this morning.

“Want a sandwich?” You offer, trying not to be rude. The other Avengers, you don’t have anything against personally. Just the one who stripped you from your house with his fatherly claim.

“If your sugars are low, I’m not taking your food away from you.” Natasha holds up her hands, trying to show she comes in peace.

“Is there anyone he didn’t tell I’m diabetic to?” You roll your eyes as you slide the sandwich in her direction, grabbing another paper towel to make another. “Wallace says I’m fine for now. I can make another.”

“Wallace?”

“My blood sugar monitor. It’s actually called a Dexcom, but I named it Wallace so that I can say things like Goddamn it Wallace when he wakes me up in the middle of the night. My pump is named Queenie. I think it’s more personal when they have names.”

“I like it.” Natasha lets a small smile escape her as she takes a bite of the sandwich you made. “And to answer your question, he told us all the emergency information about it that your grandmother shared with him. He just wanted all of us to be prepared in case we’re here and he’s not. But if you feel better we can not mention it.”

“It’s fine. It’s been a part of my life as long as I can remember.”

“He’ll probably try to invent something to make your life easier.”

“Seeing as his last thing to make my life easier stripped me of everything I’ve ever known, I’ll turn down that option.” You say with a sneer.

“He means well. Tony just doesn’t always think everything through before he acts.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” You finish making your sandwich and after throwing the knife in the sink, you enter the carbs into Queenie.

“It doesn’t, but don’t hate him just yet ok?” 

“Fine.” Natasha leads you to the couch, where you and her sit, talking for what feels like hours about trivial things until you fall asleep. She wraps a blanket around you, then falls asleep next to you. 

Waking up in the morning feels different for Tony. For starters, it’s his first full day of being a dad, even if said kid hates him. True yesterday was probably his first full day, but today is the first full day of having you under his roof. Leaving his room, he makes his way towards the kitchen, thinking he’ll check in on you on his way to get coffee. However when he finds an open door and an empty bed, his heart starts racing. Not even 24 hours into this and he’s lost his kid. “JARVIS find Y/N.”

“Miss Y/N is in the living room.” Are you that early of a riser that you are up at 6:30 on a summer day? Like he himself is only up because he has an idea for your pump that he wants to work on. Bypassing the kitchen and coffee, he makes his way to the living room, needing to calm his heart down. What he finds is not what he’s expecting. The sight in front of him is you, wrapped in a white knitted blanket curled into the side of the deadliest assassin in the world. But you were asleep and safe, that’s what matters. He tries to steady his heart before turning back towards the kitchen, not wanting to wake you yet, since he wasn’t sure when you actually went to sleep. Looking in the sink as he passed to grab a coffee mug, he spies a knife with peanut butter and jelly smeared along the tip. He’s going to have to figure out what you eat since you don’t eat meat. Steve has been cooking for everyone a lot, but with you not eating animals and him cooking a lot of meat and potato meals, there needs to be a compromise. Tony will figure something out, it’s the fatherly thing to do.

Filling a coffee cup up with the liquid he was craving, he starts to type up some of the ideas he had on his Stark Phone so that he can get the ideas down without having to go all the way down to the lab. With you sleeping on the couch, this is the closest you’ve been to him without a grimace plastered on your face since he met you.

“Sir, you said to alert you if Miss Y/N went below 100.” JARVIS’s voice speaks out. 

“The actual fuck.” Your voice fills the kitchen as you pad into it from the living room. Tony spins around to look at his daughter, the knit blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

“What?”

“You have your AI monitoring my blood sugar?” You spat out before Tony can respond.

“JARVIS monitors a lot of things for me.”

“That’s fucking creepy. And also you have it set way too high. There’s nothing to do if it’s at 100. That’s a good blood sugar. Have Dexcom send you alerts to your phone like a fucking normal person.” You turn and storm out of the kitchen. You had been used to constant monitoring when you were a kid. But you had been allowed to be the person watching your sugars for years. Having an AI watching your sugars was too much.

You throw your book, your headphones and your wallet into your backpack before pulling on a pair of ripped jean shorts and a black graphic t-shirt that says ‘Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want To Come’. Slipping on a pair of galaxy high top converse that you love and sliding a pair of black and gold could have been Ray Bans if you had the money into your hair, you figure that if you slip out the back end of the hallway, Tony won’t see you leave. Checking Queenie before you walk out the door, you have plenty of insulin so you’ll spend the day out of the eye of your overbearing father and in the city you love. Peaking your head out you see no one out in the hall, not even Natasha. So you slink down the hallway towards the elevator and get on it without anyone noticing. “Jarvis, take me to the ground floor.” You wait for him to say no, but are surprised.

“Certainly Miss Y/N.” Once on the ground floor you pull the sunglasses down, already seeing that there are a few vultures waiting with cameras outside. But when they see it’s just a kid and not one of the Avengers, they let you walk on by without snapping anything. Taking your phone out of your pocket you type a quick message in your group chat to your two best friends, letting them know you’re taking a day off of social media and texting before flipping your phone to airplane mode. No creepy AIs for you today. 

Taking your metro card and headphones out of your backpack, you make your way towards the closest station. If you hop the four or the five train you could head to your favorite coffee shop and even hit up The Strand before making a next move. Swiping your card, you hear the sounds of a train pulling into the station.

Tony throws the screw drive across the bench in frustration. Maybe Y/N was right. Maybe having JARVIS monitoring your sugars was too much, but he doesn’t know how to be any other way. Especially when his child that he’s only known about for two days has a life or death condition. “JARVIS what’s Y/N’s blood sugar?” 

“I don’t know sir. I can’t read it.”

“What?” His project is forgotten, his child the only though in his mind.

“Her phone isn’t connected to the internet.” And your monitor has to link through the internet to connect to JARVIS.

“Is there something wrong with the internet?”

“No. Internet is functioning at 100%.”

“So why is her phone not connected to it?”

“I can not say sir.” Tony pushes away from the bench and makes his way up the stairs to see why your phone isn’t connected to the internet. He looks in the kitchen for you before looking in the living room. He finds only Clint on the couch.

“Have you seen Y/N?”

“Not today. Maybe she’s in her room?” Tony turns and moves quickly through the kitchen and up the stairs, finding your door open. He moves down the hallway to Natasha’s room, hoping she might know where you are. He pounds on the door. 

“What?” The response is short as the door is pried open.

“Y/N, have you seen her?”

“Not since this morning. Why?” Ignoring her, Tony calls out for JARVIS. 

“JARVIS, where is Y/N?”

“Miss Y/N left the tower at 9:46 this morning.”

“Why was I not told?”

“You didn’t ask to be told.”

“Tony, do you think she went home?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. I can’t get a reading on her blood sugars though.” Tony is pacing in the hallway. “What if she’s hurt?” 

“JARVIS can you override her phone?” Natasha asks, not counting on it.

“No I can not. It is not a Stark Phone.”

“That changes immediately.” Tony mutters, but Natasha ignores him. Instead she pulls out her laptop.

“JARVIS can you pull up the security camera footage from the front door from when Y/N left?”

“Of course. I’ll send it to your computer.” The images of Y/N sauntering past the paparazzi, smirking as she pulls her sunglasses on makes Natasha let go of a breathy laugh. She watches as you walk towards the downtown subway station.

“She’s not heading home?” Tony says looking at the screen.

“She’s not?” Natasha asks.

“Her grandparents live in Queens. She wouldn’t take a downtown train to go home.” Natasha hits some keys and runs your face through some camera recognition until she finds where you get off, but shuts the laptop before Tony can see where you got off. “Natasha-”

“If I let you see where she went, you two will get in a screaming match in the middle of the street. Is that really how you want the world to find out that Tony Stark has a child?”

“At least get her to turn her phone on so I can see she’s not dying?”

“I’ll try.”

When you read, you fall so deeply into a book that you don’t have to even think about it. Hours pass, coffee is drunk, and the day rolls away from you. The argument, if you could even call it, with Tony seems days ago now. You’ve always loved the atmosphere of The Bean and would stay there for days if they didn’t have to lock up at times. Turning the page, you push Tony from your head, and just focus on your music. You could live in this moment forever, but out of the corner of your eye you notice a redhead sitting down at your table. Glancing up, you shouldn’t be totally surprised that Natasha found you. “I know you’re an assassin, but like stalking is a crime,” You say as you pull the earbuds from your ears.

“Tracking a runaway here, not stalking.” Natasha says softly as she places fresh coffee in front of the two of you. 

“I didn’t run away. I just needed to get out of that tower. It was suffocating me.” You say as you pick up the cup sitting in front of you.

“You turned your phone off.”

“I didn’t turn it off. I put it on airplane mode.” You can’t help but smile.

“Tony thinks you’re lying passed out on the side of the road because he can’t read your blood sugars.”

“Well let him live like that for a bit. He deserves it after programming his AI to shout my BGs all over the tower.”

“You know Tony doesn’t check his phone right? JARVIS is his phone essentially. So telling him to just send notifications to his phone wouldn’t do much different than having JARVIS tell him stuff.” Natasha reaches a hand across the table to grasp yours. “He’s trying.”

“He’s suffocating me.”

“It’s going to take him a few tries before he gets this right. He could have flown out here in his Iron Man suit to make sure you were still alive. Pretty sure that’s what he wanted to do.”

“Ugh, no! That’s worse than having you stalking me here.”

“Again, not stalking. This was a recovery mission.” Natasha takes a sip from her own mug. “So you going to come home or am I going to have to kidnap you to bring you home?”

“I still have things to get done today.” You say with a non committal shrug.

“Y/N, you’re fourteen. You have to at least tell your guardian when you’re going to run around New York City.”

“He doesn’t even-”

“Don’t say he didn’t care before yesterday, because that’s not fair to either of you. He didn’t know about you before forty eight hours ago. I was there when he got the call.” You think back to last night when Tony introduced Natasha as Nat and things start to make a lot more sense. 

“If you were there, tell me about it.” You say, finally marking your page in the book and setting it aside.

“He was pretty shocked to say the least. He was confused on why a school was calling him, but then to be told it was his daughter’s school, well he basically went into shock. He was listening to them talk about you while I tried to find out what I could about you. When we hung up he shot into a Tony rant about needing to find you and know you. To not be like Howard and to show you that he was going to be there for you.”

“Who’s Howard?” You ask, not following.

“Your grandfather, Tony’s dad. But if you want to know more about him, you’ll have to talk to him.” Natasha takes another sip of her coffee.

“What happened after his rant?”

“He spent most of the night on the phone with his lawyers. Trying to figure out the best plan of attack and what to do for you. Also spent a fair amount of time talking with Pepper about the situation.”

“Who’s Pepper?”

“His girlfriend, but also the CEO of SI.”

“He’s dating his CEO?”

“Technically they were dating before she became CEO. She’s put up with a lot of his shit before and after being placed in the position.”

“Why?”

“Because she loves him.” Natasha says it like it’s an easy answer. “Maybe you should talk with her when you have a chance. She knows that Tony isn’t easy to talk to but he’s worth it more than any of us.”

“Maybe.” You take a sip from your coffee, not wanting to admit that meeting your new to you father’s girlfriend wasn’t something that you were all that interested in.

“You don’t have to decide right now, but you’ll probably meet her eventually.”

“If it happens, it happens I guess.”

“You’d like her I think.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because she doesn’t put up with Tony’s shit either.” Not wanting to hear about Tony much more you shrug. 

“Do you want to see my favorite place in the whole city?” Natasha doesn’t ignore the fact that you’re changing the topic, but nods. You throw your book in your backpack, along with your earbuds, before swallowing the last bit of your coffee. “Come on! It’s right over here.” You motion for her to follow. Across the street, the red banner awaits you. You ignore the carts sitting by the door, wanting to show Natasha the inside beauty of The Strand.

“Wow, you know who would love this place? Steve.” Natasha says as she looks at the shelves that line the walls. Thousands of books fill the store and you could take hours looking at each and everyone.

“My Pops brought me here when I was like six and I’ve been coming here ever since. It’s the best place to find amazing books.” 

“Where do you start looking?”

“Queer YA, always.” You answer without a second thought. “They always have something I haven’t read waiting there for me.”

“Lead the way.” Natasha motions forward, towards the rest of the store, not knowing where that would be, but is willing to follow you.

“Really? I’m not going to force you into seeing what I look at-”

“I want to see the things you’re interested in.” Natasha lets off a soft smile, similar to the ones she had given you last night when talking with you on the couch and you decide to just trust her.

“It’s upstairs.”

“Let’s go.” She follows you up the winding staircase towards the YA section. Even though both of you could have easily made jokes about the Avenger end cap that was meant to inspire reading about ‘Heroes Just Like You’, neither of you point it out as you walk towards the Queer YA table. Looking at the table, it’s easy to fall into the habit of looking at books and picking up ones that interest you- Love Simon, Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe, The Disasters, More Happy Than Not, Every Day, Darius The Great Is Not Ok,and so many others. Natasha eventually takes the books from your arms so you can pick up more.

“I need to pair down. I can’t afford all of these.” You say looking at the pile that has accumulated in her arms.

“Tony can. It’s fine. Ready to pay and head home?” Natasha asks.

“Wait what? I’m not letting him buy these.” You say defensively.

“It’s ok Y/N. You’re his kid and the price of these are pocket change to him.” She starts to make her way towards the staircase to head downstairs to pay.

“Natasha, no. I’ve known him for less than twenty four hours.

“He honestly would demand to pay for them if he was here. I promise, it’s ok.” Natasha steps down the first couple of stairs. “You coming? Or are there more books you want?”

“I’m done.” You say, not wanting her to purchase more stuff in Tony’s name. During the checkout process, you find yourself unable to find your voice as the total just climbs. The number is higher than you’ve ever seen it. Nana and Pops never would have let you spend this much money, but Natasha swipes a black credit card without second thought. You have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach because of it. That much money could have paid for your Nana’s medicine for a month. And as much as you want the books, you know so many other people it could have actually helped and to Tony it was no big deal to drop this amount of money on this stack of books. 

Walking outside of the Strand, you turn to make your way back to the four train when Natasha catches your arm. “This way Y/N.”

“The subway’s this way.” You point down the street.

“Happy’s picking us up.” You don’t say anything, but follow her. Private chauffeur when you have a perfectly working metro card makes no sense. You’ve been using the metro since you were a child, so stopping now makes no sense to you. Honestly, even though there can be weirdos on the subway, you love the feeling of the train moving beneath you. It’s a part of being at home. But maybe this is part of Tony’s whole not touching things that he doesn’t like public transportation? All you have to do is make it through the next two weeks of summer and then you’ll be back at school and hopefully he’ll cool off.

“Romanoff, Y/N.” Happy opens the door for the two of you to slide into the back seat. Natasha gives him that tight smile. And before you know it you’re in the elevator headed back up to the suffocating hellhole that is the tower. You shouldn’t be surprised to see that Tony is waiting for you when you step off the elevator.

“Never, ever shut your phone off like that again.” You roll your eyes, but start to walk away from him. “We’re not done talking Y/N.”

“I’m going to my room. Or is that not allowed now?”

“We’re having a conversation about the fact that you left without telling anyone and that you shut off a major communication device, so no you may not leave right now.” Tony’s face gets red as his anger enters his voice.

“I’ll put these in your room.  I think you and Tony need to talk Y/N.” Natasha lifts the bag of books as well as takes the backpack from you. Instead of running to your room like you want to, you slam onto the couch, knowing that even if you did leave to go to your room, Tony would probably follow you.

“I know you’re not ecstatic about this new living situation, but we have to put some ground rules in place.”

“Ecstatic is the last word I would use to describe this.” You motion between Tony and yourself. “You’re treating me like I have no clue how to deal with the disease that I have been dealing with since I was four on top of the fact that you won’t let me walk around the city that I have lived in and traveled in since I was a child. You’re treating me like I’m new to all of this when really the only new thing here is you to my life.”

“Ok maybe I’m not handling your diabetes well. And I’ll work on that. But what you’re not understanding is that you are no longer Y/N Y/L/N. You’re Y/N Stark and there are a lot of people who would do anything to get their hands on you. Which means you can’t just wander the streets of New York without at least telling us where you went and shutting your phone off because it’s a safety issue. If you get hurt, that’s on me. And I’m not letting that happen.”

“People don’t want to get their hands on me. I’m a nobody.” You scoff.

“You’re the heir of Stark Industries. That doesn’t make you a nobody.” Tony runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t explain that well enough but on your eighteenth birthday you come into a large fortune and then on your twenty first birthday or on the completion of college, whichever comes first, you have the opportunity to take over SI. That puts a large target on your back and I’m sorry about that, but I’m not sorry that I’m going to put your safety first.”

“I don’t want to run Stark Industries.” You say, the disgust at the idea filling your mouth.

“Then we will figure something out, but right now, keeping you safe is my number one concern. So you can not leave the tower without Happy. No more metro hopping, no teenage angsty storming out of the building, and 1000% no turning off your phone so I can’t read your blood sugars. Also your new phone will be here tomorrow.”

“What new phone? My phone works fine.” You casually don’t mention that you’ve had the same phone for three years, but that it’s worked just fine that whole time.

“I can’t have you using competitors’ products. You’re getting a Stark Phone tomorrow.”

“You just want it so your tech can override my settings.” You imply with a scoff.

“Not at all. I can’t have you running around with competitors’ products, especially when it’s being announced on Monday that I have a daughter.”

“What? Why?”

“Because there’s only so many times you can be seen leaving the Tower before people get suspicious. Plus Monday gives Pepper and the legal team to pull together an official statement from SI too.” You drop your head into your hands. “Talk to me kiddo. What’s with the defeated look?”

“We can’t wait until school at least starts?”

“Pep thinks the sooner we announce it the better.”

“Yeah well she never had to go to high school a week after it was announced that she was Tony Stark’s kid and the supposed to be inheritor of SI. I’ll never have a life again. I haven’t even told my friends yet.”

“You have time. Invite them over. They can come over for dinner tomorrow or something.”

“Ugh, fine.”

tags:  @persephonehemingway  @iamaunicorn4704  @furiouspockettoad  @daughter-of-stark  @eternalharry  @huntective-kyeo

[fanficmarvelchick]

Monster

Summary: You and Eleven were both experimented on and escaped together to Hawkins. You were in hiding and the last thing you expected was to meet a particularly confident bad boy with a secret heart of gold. (Billy Hargrove x reader)

Warnings: some violence

Word Count: 4.8k

You couldn’t quite tell if you hated being kept away from practically everyone in Hawkins or if it was just being kept away from Billy. It wasn’t like you didn’t understand why you couldn’t talk to him, or be friends with him, but you hated isolation.

It’s taken you years to break out with El. She was the last straw for you. You could handle the experiments. You could handle being locked in a dark cell for weeks at a time, but seeing her go through the same thing broke your heart. Eventually you’d convinced her to break out and the two of you went on the run. Truthfully, you’d have taken anything over being in that place, getting experimented on practically every damn day.

You’re abilities weren’t exactly stress free, and to you they felt generally unhelpful.

You were able to heal anyone and bring things back from the dead (well, only small animals like mice seemed to be able to come back to the real world).

To the untrained eye this might seem like an incredible ability, to be able to stop peoples suffering and take care of the people you love. But everything comes with a price.

For you, the bigger the injury the more pain it caused. Whenever you would heal another person, it was as if you were transferring their pain to yourself. You could feel exactly what they felt until whatever wounds they had were gone.

This still didn’t come close to the time you were forced to bring a mouse back to life. A mouse which they forced you to kill in the first place. The pain you felt was indescribable and dark. You eyes became black as you felt a burning sensation beneath your skin, flowing through your veins.

You’d vowed to never do it again. You’d pretend that you weren’t able to do it anymore. That you’re ability had faded. The scientists didn’t exactly believe you, but you were stubborn enough to stick to it.

When Hopper took you in with El, you told him about it. He promised you that you’d never have to do anything like that again, that he’d take care of you and the people around you.

He was the one who allowed you to go to school, though only under the condition that you spent your time with Steve, Nancy, or Jonathan.

You figured this would be easy. You liked all of them and they knew about your abilities. You also weren’t the most sociable person. Being locked away for most of your life can do that to you.

You remember when Billy arrived. As you were a very quiet person, you were able to listen in on peoples conversations about it.

Only minutes after his arrival and everyone had an opinion on him. All the ladies were swooning and all the men were jealous.

When he strolled into the school with a denim jacket and a cigarette hanging from his lips, you found yourself agreeing with the ladies. The way he walked like he owned the place and the surge of confidence flowing through him had you wishing you could speak to him. You knew you weren’t allowed and due to your gratitude to Hopper, you decided you’d let it go.

Months went by without anything different. You’d continued to spend your time with Steve and Nancy. Two people who definitely did not like Billy. You’d sit with Steve, listening to him complain about the new guy and how annoying he was. You realised pretty quickly that Steve felt threatened in his presence. This was something you’d never understand. You couldn’t really imagine feeling threatened by just another teenager, especially since you’d been faced with much worse in your time.

Your days soon began to change when you were in your English class and your teacher lost it. She’s snapped at this disruptive class and decided on a seating plan. The truth was you didn’t give a shit. It was like you talked to anyone anyway.

You were placed directly at the back of the class and right next to Billy Hargrove. What a surprise, you thought to yourself. Out of all the people, it had to be this boy.

It took only a few seconds before you noticed him open his mouth. He was not going to spend the class actually paying attention so he figured he’d annoy you instead.

“So what’s your story, huh?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning towards you.

“Excuse me?” You replied, unsure of what he meant.

“Oh come on” he grinned. “No one can be as shy as you and not have a story”

“Uhh, I don’t have a story” you said quietly, glancing around the room.

“Why don’t you talk to anyone around here?” He asked, deliberately prying into your life.

“I’m talking to you, aren’t I” you replied quickly, giving him a shy smile as you twiddled your fingers. He gave you a smirk as he nodded in response.

“How’s it feel to be responsible for the seating plan? I mean, you’re definitely the one who caused it” he said with a smile, causing you to let out a chuckle.

“Shh, keep it down” he joked as he gave you a slight nudge with his elbow. You couldn’t even hide your smile if you wanted.

“Be quiet!” The teacher yelled, snapping her head towards Billy, feeling her blood begin to boil as she looked around at the class.

You let out a small giggle as you ducked your head down.

“That’s you she’s talking to” he whispered as he leant over.

“Definitely” you agreed with a smile.

When the class finished, you felt yourself for the first time thinking that the class went well. Being the quiet one and not talking to anyone usually resulted in boredom and an overall feeling like you were going to fall asleep.

As soon as you walked out the door, Billy appeared by your side.

“So eager to get to the next class?” He questioned, letting out a laugh.

“Wouldn’t quite say that” you replied.

“Are you saying you’re not the complete nerd that everyone thinks you are?” He grinned as he looked down at you.

“Maybe the real nerd has been you all along” You retorted with a chuckle.

“Oh shit you got me. Don’t tell anyone or my reputation will be ruined.” He replied, trying to hold onto a serious expression.

The two of you soon parted to go to your set page classes. As you were sitting in your next class you felt yourself smiling, so much so that Steve kept giving you strange looks.

“What’s got you in such a good mood? Not that it’s a bad thing” he asked, giving you a smile.

“She was talking to Billy in her last class” Nancy replied before you had a chance, shaking her head in disapproval.

“Whoa, whoa. Billy? As in Billy Hargrove? King douchebag of the school?” Steve said, giving you a shocked expression.

“You should not be talking to him. Literally any other living thing would be a better idea than that asshole” he continued, pursing his lips as Nancy nodded in agreement.

“I don’t know... he didn’t seem so bad” You replied quietly, keeping your head down as though you were being interrogated.

The weeks began to go by and you deliberately didn’t tell anyone about Billy. You hated how much your friends did not approve of him.

Billy continued to talk to you, chatting you up at any moment with little jokes and flirtatious comments. It had become his new mission to get you to loosen up.

“You still haven’t told me your story” Billy said as he walked up behind you in the car park. “You know I thought we had something special, Y/N” he added, giving you a sad pout and a frown.

“Alright here it is” you said, watching him lean towards you in excitement. “I’m a secret agent sent from the future”.

“I knew it.” He replied. “Everything about you screams badass secret agent, capable of assassination at a moments notice” he laughed as he walked with you.

Steve came walking up behind you and tapped you on the shoulder, distracting you for a moment.

“You ready?” He asked, pointing towards his car. He’s being driving you and Nancy to school for the last few months now since you’d never been given the chance to learn how to drive.

Before you could answer, Billy stepped in to face Steve.

“Don’t worry Harrington, I’ll take her home” he said.

“I think she’d rather go with me Hargrove” Steve replied, pressing his eyebrows together as he looked at you.

“Why don’t you let her decide” Billy said, looking at you with a smirk.

You didn’t have time to answer before Steve grabbed your hand and began walking to the car.

“Enjoy your night” Steve said with a big smile as he waved off Billy, causing you to let out a sigh as you were pulled away.

You spent the drive ignoring Steve. You hated that you didn’t have a choice. You hated being forced to avoid Billy and anyone else.

-

The day Nancy and Steve broke up felt like a small relief for you. Steve has now become so caught up with the break up that he didn’t have time to focus his attention on you.

You’d told each of them that you were spending time with the other whilst you secretly spent a majority of your time with Billy.

Billy had approached you after school at your locker when the bell rang.

“You ready to go?” He asked with a smile.

He’d been driving you home in secret for the past few weeks. Though you didn’t let him take you to Hoppers house. You told him to drop you off earlier and he never pushed to ask why. Truthfully, he was happy that he could finally drive you at all now that Steve wasn’t in the way all the time.

You nodded with a smile as you began walking to his car. He knew you wanted to keep it a secret that you were spending time with him so he was quick and discrete. He was also glad that Max wanted to hang out with her friends after school so he had time to talk to you instead.

When he pulled over at the usual spot he’d drop you off at, he turned off the car and leaned towards you.

“We could just sit here for a while” he suggested, looking you up and down for a short moment.

“You know I can’t” You replied, letting out a breath and you looked down.

“I really like hanging out with you... I just want you to know that” he said quietly with a serious expression.

“I like hanging out with you too” you replied softly, a small smile creeping across your face.

You watched him lean towards you, only a few inches away from your face as he looked into your eyes.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as you felt yourself move towards him. He took this as a sign of encouragement before he closed the gap, pressing his lips against yours as his hand rose to cup your cheek. You felt yourself reciprocating, pushing back against him as you reached out, your hand pressing against his chest.

When the two of you parted, you couldn’t stop the smile appearing on your face.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that” he laughed as his hand move to grip yours, allowing your fingers to intertwine with his.

“I couldn’t agree more” You replied with a grin as you squeezed his hand.

“I wish I could show you off to the world” he said, gently biting his lower lip.

“I guess I’ll have to be your little secret” you said with a small smile as you leant forward once again, softly pressing your lips against his.

-

The two of you went on like this for months. At school you’d act like you barely knew each other, trying so hard to make sure no one knew. It was a nightmare.

He’d always find ways to sneak touches or kisses. He’d find a way to catch you alone during the school day and would immediately be all over you, joking around with you or kissing your neck.

You’d sneak out in the late night and he’d be parked up the street, waiting for you so you could spend the night together.

You’d either spend the night sitting in his car talking until the sun came up, or he’d take you out. Either way, it’s all you could think about every night. You found yourself more and more drawn to him.

When the summer came and school finished, you could barely contain your excitement. Outside of working shifts as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool, he’d be with you. Lucky for you Hopper was often out and El knew how to keep a secret, especially since her and Mike were otherwise preoccupied.

You’d planned a night together after one of his shifts. He said that he’d take you out for dinner and then to a hotel for a proper night out. You couldn’t stop thinking about it all day.

That was until he didn’t show up.

All night you waited for him to pick you up. You couldn’t stop yourself from worrying. He had never once been late to be with you, he’d never even come close.

The next day you went to his work, knowing he had a shift scheduled. When you arrived and noticed he was in the locker room, you decided to follow him.

“Billy..?” You asked as you walked in, seeing him sitting on the floor of the shower with water running over his face.

“Hey...” you said softly. “What’s going in?”

He didn’t look at you but you could see he was shaking. He was curled up, holding his knees against his chest. You reached out your hand to touch him and he quickly grabbed your wrist.

“Don’t..” he said quietly.

“Billy, please tell me what’s wrong” you begged.

“Just stay away from me!” He said firmly as he flicked your hand away and stood up, quickly running out of the locker room.

You just stood there for a moment, your mind raising as a wave of confusion hit you. He’d never acted like this; you were beginning to worry.

Days went by like this.

He refused to talk to you, practically bolting away from you whenever he saw you.

You felt yourself panic, going over everything you’ve done and wondering why the hell he was acting like this.

Eventually you felt so confused and hurt that you told El. You confessed to everything. The secret relationship you’d had and how he’d been treating you lately.

You’d been expecting her to comfort you, giving you some type of comfort but instead it looked like a light bulb lit up in her head.

She didn’t waste a single second before telling you about him, about seeing him leaning over Heather. The blood ridden whistle in his bathroom and the similarities he was sharing with Will when he was possessed by the Mind Flayer.

You couldn’t believe it. Yet it made sense.

He’d never acted like this before and a part of you was grateful knowing that it might not be him doing this.

-

When El and her friends told you about the plan to lock him in the sauna, you were all for it. If this Mind Flayer piece of shit was in him then you wanted to know and you were going to find a way kill the thing yourself if you had to. There was no way you were going to let Billy be controlled by this thing.

When the door slammed shut on him in that sauna and he turned around, his eyes locking with yours.

“Y/N....?” He asked quietly, frowning as he took in a breath.

“What’s going on? What are you doing?” He asked as he glanced around, his confusion growing even more when he noticed Max.

“Open the door!” He yelled as he began to panic.

“Turn it up, Will” Mike said as Will increased the temperature.

You watched as Billy began to back up, his chest expanding rapidly as he began to breathe heavily. His hands rose to his head as he started to panic before your eyes.

“It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault!” He yelled as he collapsed to the floor.

You quickly walked forward, peering through the small window as you watched Billy sit on the floor.

“It’s not my fault, Y/N!” He yelled, his eyes tearing up.

“I’ve done some... bad things. Really bad things” he said as he looked up at you, his hands shaking.

“What did you do, Billy?” You asked softly, trying not to panic.

“It’s not my fault! He made me do it” he replied as he gripped his knees.

“Who made you do it?” You asked.

“I don’t know, it’s like a shadow” he responded, ducking his head as he tears began to pour down his cheeks.

“Please believe me, Y/N. It’s not my fault!” He pleaded before holding his head in his hands.

You couldn’t stop yourself from tearing up, seeing him like this made your heart ache.

“I believe you, Billy” you said. “It’s gonna be okay”.

You watched him continue to shake and shrink in on himself. You wished so badly you could go in there and wrap your arms around him. You wanted to stop him feeling like this and you wanted so badly to kill the Mind Flayer.

“Step away from the door” Mike chimed in causing you to turn around.

You barely had enough time to process before Billy launches himself your way, his hand smashing through the glass.

You felt Max pulling you way as Billy struggled to open the door. You’d never been frightened of him before but you were scared shitless watching him break out. The anger on his face sent chills up your spine.

It wasn’t long before you felt yourself backed against the wall as Billy came charging towards you. You were frozen, standing there waiting for him to attack you and you couldn’t move a muscle.

If it wasn’t for El, you would have let him kill you.

You hated how weak you felt as El stood in front of you, protecting you from Billy.

She was the only one who stood a chance against him and even she had been struggling. When his hand from gripped around her neck, you finally moved.

You sprinted up behind him. Wrapping your arms around his neck and shoulder as you attempted to pull him away. Though it proved to not be very powerful, it did distract him enough for El to get away.

She collapsed against Mike as Billy turned to face you. Black veins were bubbling beneath his skin as he clenched his jaw. In all the anger in his body, you couldn’t help but notice his tearful eyes.

You noticed his feet planted on the ground as if he were struggling to stay still. If only you had known the battle going on in his head. How he was screaming for the Mind Flayer to stop, to not force him to hurt you. He couldn’t imagine being the one to cause you pain, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d ever hurt you and he was begging for you to run.

In this moment of him standing still, you used it to move it of his way. He thanked god you didn’t try to come at him, knowing you’d never stand a chance against this horrid version of himself.

He’d never felt so frightened in his life. The fear of hurting you had him cowering in the dark corner of his mind.

When El was able to fight him off, sending him through the wall. He didn’t hesitate before running. He would not fight you.

-

You refused to accept that he was lost. That you couldn’t save him.

Once the Mind Flayer had taken shape and targeted El, you realised the kind of danger you were all in.

You’d all been hiding in the Mall once Billy appeared in the car park. You were sucked behind the car, sitting closely beside Nancy as the two of you tried desperately to stay quiet.

Due to Lucas and his smart thinking, he was able to distract it long enough for you to run.

He quickly handed out fireworks and you all scattered, firing them off in order to distract it from El... who was clearly the prime target.

When Billy stormed in, you began to truly panic.

He’d been dragging El across the floor towards the Mind Flayer, ready to offer her up. You began running down to the first floor as she began to scream, attempting to fight him off to no avail as her abilities appeared dormant.

You were trying so desperately to get to her. Watching him push her to the ground and lean over her. Your mind was racing faster than you’d been moving. You couldn’t bring yourself to hurt him and yet here he was, ready to sacrifice your own family.

You were stopped in your track as you noticed a change in his eyes. He was leaning over her as she began to speak to him, his eyes softening by her words as he began to tear up. You had no idea what she had been saying, but you could help but notice the tears falling from his eyes as her hand rose to his cheek.

You watched from a distance as Billy began to rise, turning away from El as he looked up at the Mind Flayer. His shoulders were broad, fists clenched and his face full of anger.

It happened so fast. You watched the creature launch at El and couldn’t stop the scream pour out of you as Billy jumped in the way. He was attacked from all sides, blood staining his white shirt as he yelled in pain.

When it ripped through his chest, that was when you finally unfroze, racing towards him.

He collapsed to his knees before you came running up behind him, arms wrapping around him as he fell against you. His head pressed against your chest as you gripped him tightly, tears falling down your cheeks as you stared at him in shock. You didn’t notice the monster beginning to cave in on itself as it died. Your attention being so painfully focused on the man dying in your arms.

His eyes locked with yours as you rested his head in your lap, unable to stop yourself from crying.

“..Y/N” he choked, staring up at you as he struggled to breath.

“I’m s-sorry” he said quietly, his eyes moving towards the ceiling as his final breath was taken away from him.

You felt his entire weight in your arms as your mouth opened, trying to find anything to say. Your eyes moved rapidly over his face, refusing to accept that he was gone.

You pressed your forehead against his as your hand tightened around him. The palms of your hand began to tingle and heat up as your heart rate quickened. Your eyes clamped shut as you winced in pain; the heat spreading rapidly through your body.

You could feel sharp pains in your body, as through your skin was being torn and ripped away from you.

The pain he felt was so horrific, your chest feeling as though it was shattering beneath your skin. El was attempting to pull you away as you yelled in pain, tears rolling down your cheek.

Your vision went black before you could see him. Before you could see the wounds on along his body closing up, before you could feel his pulse coming back. You could only remember falling back against El before you became completely unconscious.

-

Light was stinging at the corner of your eyes as you opened them to see the ceiling. You frowned for a moment, feeling like everything had been an extremely vivid and painful dream.

You lurched forward in a panic as you looked around the empty room. It was your room for sure, but it was so quiet. You rushed out of the door as your heart races, eyes tearing up as you thought back to Billy.

Your body stopped suddenly, staring up into the eyes of Billy as he stood at the other end of the lounge. His lips parted as he thought of something to say but he came up with nothing.

You were moving so quick yet your body felt numb. It felt like someone was controlling you as you ran to him, jumping up and wrapping your arms and legs around him.

He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around you as he pressed his head into the nape of your neck, his eyes tearing up as he held you in his arms.

Your feet dropped to the floor as you stared up at him, eyes scanning his face. He was okay. He was alive. He was beautiful.

“Billy...” you whispered, your voice cracking as you felt yourself tear up.

His hand rose to your cheek as he sucked in a breath. He leant down slowly before pressing his lips softly and hesitantly against yours. His hands were resting on your waist as he kissed you, touching you as if you were made of glass.

He wanted to hold you so tightly against him, to pick you up and spin you around. He wished him could kiss you with every fibre of his being, but the fear of hurting you was still inside him.

You pulled away slowly, your eyes still closed for a moment as you let out a breath, savouring the feeling of him being right here in front of you.

-

As the weeks went by, he became slowly more comfortable with you again. But he was still so quiet. He never once talked to you about what he did and what it felt like.

You definitely didn’t want to push him but you knew how much it must be bugging him. There were moments when you’d catch him just thinking to himself, a sad look on his face and you knew he was going through memories of what happened.

The two of you were lying in your bed one night, facing each other and intertwining your fingers.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” You said quietly, giving him a small sympathetic smile.

He just looked away as he took in a deep breath.

“I can’t...” he replied softly.

“Whatever you did Billy... just know it wasn’t your fault” you said, your hand moving to rest on his cheek.

“It doesn’t change anything” he replied quickly as he looked into your eyes. “It was still me. I’m the one who hurt those people”.

“Don’t say that. You didn’t do those things. It was that piece of shit monster” you stared, unable to change your mind on the matter.

“But it was my hands, I could’ve killed El. I could have killed you” he replied, his hand rising to grip yours as he pulled your hand from his cheek.

“You died, Billy.” You said softly. “You died saving our lives”

“If that doesn’t prove you’re a good person... than I don’t know what does” you added, leaning in closer and squeezing his hand.

“I still don’t know how to thank you saving my life.” He replied before his hand loved to your waist, pulling you closer towards him.

“You don’t have to” You said softly. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against yours, unable to understand how you could look pass the things he’d done. He couldn’t change how he felt about you, being more and more grateful everyday that you were here with him.

“God I love you” He whispered, inches away from your face.

You felt yourself freeze for a moment. He’d never said that to you, or anyone else for that matter. Your heart was racing as he stared into your eyes, but you did not need to think about a reply. It was simple.

“I love you too, Billy. So damn much” you replied, leaning in to kiss him again as he arm wrapped around you completely.

You spent the night in each other’s arms, holding onto him tightly, as though he might disappear if you were to let him go.

The two of you had been through too much now for you to drift away from each other. After all... you did have shared trauma.

-Hope you enjoyed! :) Thank you to @ateliefloresdaprimavera for the request!

[dolce-peach]

Hii! Could you do like a Loki X reader avenger that has like angel like powers that would be interesting! Btw I love your fics hope you're safe out there have a nice day :))

with you

pairing: loki x avenger!reader

warnings: slight violence, blood, loki being an absolute lil bean at times

a/n: tysm anon!  i got excited for this one, cuz i’m a sucker for anything fantasy :)  also i put loki on the team because i believe that’s beautiful *wipes eyes* hope you guys like it!

permanent taglist: @kaitlynmalikisnotonfire

** TO MAKE A REQUEST -- please check the status in my bio **

masterlist

----

You were grooming your large white wings, sitting on the edge of the Avengers Tower.  You relished the cool breeze circling your legs as they dangled over the side of the building.  Some pedestrians recognized you from down below and waved, and you smiled and waved back with a wing.

Life as an Avenger was strange but good.  Though you did appreciate them, you just couldn’t get used to the way humans went about their days.  They were odd yet endearing creatures.

When they asked you to be part of their team, you couldn’t refuse their cause to protect the world.

“Avengers, please report to Hangar 1,” JARVIS’ voice echoed through the comms.

Without hesitation, you folded your wings comfortably and made your way downstairs until you arrived at the hangar, where everyone was waiting.

You naturally gravitated towards Loki, who was surveying the scene before him.

“What’s going on?” you asked.

“Not the slightest idea,” he said.  “Something about Hydra, I assume.”

You frowned.

As far as you knew, Tony and Steve had been tracking down numerous Hydra forts looking for the stolen sceptre Loki wielded once before.  He had since then broken away from the effects, but you knew it still haunted him.

“What’s the situation, Tony?” Steve asked as he came forward.

“JARVIS picked something up over in Sokovia.  I think we should check it out,” Tony explained.  He brought up a hologram of a fort.  “It’s small and abandoned.”

“Which would make it easy for them to hide more numbers underground,” Natasha concluded.

Bruce raised an eyebrow.  “C-can they do that?”

“We must be prepared for whatever they throw our way,” Thor said.  “If that means to fight fire with fire, then we’ll do so.”

Clint shrugged.  “Seems sketchy, but this is the first lead we’ve had in a few weeks.”

Steve nodded.  “We’ll have two parties.  Y/N and Loki can sneak inside and look for the sceptre while the rest of us take them on from outside,” he directed.  “If they find it, then by the time they get out and get back to us, we’ll already be long gone before Hydra can do anything.”

“You heard the captain,” Tony said, quirking an eyebrow.  “Let’s move, people.”

You followed everyone onto the Quinjet when Loki grabbed hold of your wrist.   You turned to face him, seeing the concern in his eyes.

“Loki?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said.

“Why not?  I have you.”

He sighed.  “Yes, but if we manage to find the sceptre, what if i turn against you?”  He looked away.  “What if I can’t save you?”

You laughed.  “I’m an angel, dear.  I don’t need saving.”  You brushed his hair back gently.  “And you won’t turn.  I won’t let you, I promise.”

He closed his eyes, inhaling softly.  “Okay.”

“Come on, Rock of Ages,” Tony called.  “Waiting on you!”

Loki chuckled, rolling his eyes.  “You’re lucky I quietly deal with your antics, Stark.”

You pat his shoulder before getting yourself situated.  “Just let it go,” you teased.

--

You flew stealthily through the trees, carrying Loki as you went.  Gunshots and canon fire echoed in the distance, signaling that the Hydra soldiers were distracted by the rest of the Avengers.  

Once you were close to the back entrance, you set Loki down and ran alongside him, meeting a few soldiers head on.

You swung your arm out in front of you, flashing a blinding light that made the soldiers collapse.  You twirled around and blew down the door with one powerful gust from your wings.

“You know, I could’ve handled that,” Loki said as he followed you through the door.

“I know,” you explained.  “But we don’t have much time.”

“I know,” he said quietly with a smirk as the two of you continued down the dark hallway.

Most of the soldiers had cleared out, either evacuating or going out to assist against the rest of the Avengers.  The lucky few you encountered either instantly fainted upon looking into your golden eyes, or screamed in horror at the illusions Loki cast.

At last, you made it to a secret passageway that deviated far from the original hallway.  Your wings shivered from the chilled air that swept through the narrow tunnel.

Your breath was a cloud that barely escaped your lips as you were nearly knocked from your feet by a blur.

“Y/N!”

You turned to see Loki draw his daggers as he wrestled with a young teenage boy with silver hair.

Before you could go and help, your vision grew red before settling.  You turned to see a girl retreating to the shadows, her irises an extreme crimson.  Confusion took a hold of you as old memories clouded your eyes, but you were still able to fight through it and pin her against the stone wall.

“It didn’t work,” she breathed, staring at you with wide eyes.

“Who are you?” you questioned.  

You tightened your grip around her arms, feeling an intense fire rise to your fingertips.  The girl cried out.

“Let me go!” she hissed.  

“Answer my question,” you said calmly, raising your other flaming hand.  “I may be an angel, but I can be the devil if I want to.”

Before you could inflict any more harm, she disappeared in a blur.

You turned to see Loki wiping his bleeding lip, his daggers dissolving within his long fingers.  You rushed over, running your fingers along his lip.

He chuckled.  “I’m fine.”

Your eyes were filled with concern.  “Who were they?” you asked as you began to heal him.

“I’m not sure, but they were young,” he said.  “Maybe enhanced.”

Your fingertips gave off a soft golden glow, sealing the cut back together.  He touched his lip when you were finished, a small smile of gratitude appearing.

“Let’s get the sceptre and get out of here,” you said.

“Great plan.”

The said sceptre lay in the middle of the room under a large Chitauri Leviathan.  Other broken parts of the Chitauri soldiers lay around on various tables, making the room smell strongly of burnt flesh.  

Loki cautiously took the sceptre in his hands, shakily breathing out as he touched the gold staff.

You touched his shoulder.  “You okay?”

He sighed, which was enough for you.  “Let’s get back.”

“Captain, we have the sceptre,” you said in your earpiece as the two of you walked back through the tunnel.  

“Good.  We’re by the edge of the forest.”

“Copy that.”

You were suffocating before the two of you emerged out in the snowy forest, the fresh cold air filling your chest.

And without a warning, your knees buckled.

--

Y/N!

You watched drops of blood fall onto the white snow beneath your feet.  They fell one by one, staining the pure white until a pool was created around you.

Shaking, you lifted your gaze up to see someone aiming a bow and arrow at you.  His face was blurred and dark in the red fire of the forest.

A shot rang through the air, and moments later, the arrow dug itself into your stomach.

You fell to your knees, feeling the one thing you were promised you wouldn’t feel.  Pain blossomed from the wound, making you double over.

“Y/N!”

Your eyes shot open, staring directly into Loki’s.  

Breathe! your mind screamed.

Your eyes darted around, trying to grasp where you were.

“It’s okay!  You’re safe,” he said.  “You’re at home.”

“Home,” you murmured.  After a few deep breaths, you closed your eyes.  “What happened?”

“The enhanced we ran into...”

“What about them?”

“We think one of them might have affected you,” he explained.

You shook your head.  “That’s impossible.”

“They got their powers from the sceptre,” he said.  “Who’s to say they can’t knock an angel or a god off their feet?”

You sighed, covering your face in your hands.  You could almost still feel the snow against your skin.

“That vision you had,” Loki began.  “Who was that?”

“A fallen angel.  A comrade I tried to save,” you replied.  You looked at him and raised an eyebrow.  “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t look into my head anymore.”

“I needed to know if you were alright,” he said.  “If you died, I’d be beside myself.”

You pursed your lips.  “I’m fine,” you said.  “Just shaken, that’s all.”  You laughed bitterly.  “I thought I forgot it all, but I guess no matter how long you live, you’ll always remember something like that.”

Loki nodded.  “I know what you mean.”

You took one long look at the god and smiled sadly.  “Yes, you do.”

He brushed his black locks back.  “I’m sorry, Y/N.  I should’ve sensed them coming.”

“It’s okay,” you said.  “Truly, it’s okay.  It’s a good thing we were prepared anyways, otherwise, we would’ve had a hard time making it out.”

He chuckled.  “True, but nothing’s impossible for this god,” he said as he pointed to himself.

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing, making Loki grin from ear to ear.  Hearing your laugh was enough to cure all the sicknesses in the world and ban darkness to the edges of the galaxy.  

It was a sound that vividly spelled, “Everything’s going to be okay.”

And it was.