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authoressskr · 3 years

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Tracking Death and Magic, pt 2

Characters: f!Reader [known in this fic as Duchess], Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Phil Coulson, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Clint Barton, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, mentions of Dr. Strange, OFCs

Warnings: Language, death, angst, and no Beta :: Notes: this was written for @captain-kelli’s #ckcomebacktour – WELCOME BACK!! :: Word Count: 10,414

Mythological + Fairy Tale Creatures AU feat. Alpha Werewolf/Vampire!Bucky, Alpha Werewolf/Vampire!Steve, Giant!Hulk side Bruce, Born Witch!Wanda, Hellhound mix!Reader

Someone is hunting down those with Fae blood in New York. And no one can figure out why or who is behind the crimes. So higher ups in the city hand the case over to SHIELD, who deals with the more difficult supernatural cases. But even after two weeks, this small elite team can’t seem to figure out where the person or persons responsible will strike or the reasoning behind it. Anyone with a drop of Fae blood is scared…scared of being kidnapped or killed. Time to call in some outside help.

Prompt: [*In Part 1*] “All of those people are alive right now - all because of her.”

[ Please do NOT repost, copy & paste, translate, post or share my works on any other platform without my EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. 18+ ONLY PLEASE, all content providers don’t want serious repercussions from underage interactions, myself included. ]

-+- REBLOGGING is fine and *very* appreciated! -+-

Part One

You could feel it as you walked up to the sidewalk where Cyrus had been killed. The now dried and cleaned sidewalk not hiding it’s dark shadows from you in the waning late afternoon light.

The creeping, underhanded power of the Seelie Court brushing against you.

The poison is a prominent smell to your hound side still since it’s only been a day and a half. Cyrus’s soul hasn’t lingered, so that at least is a blessing, but the conversation with your uncle and this fresh site is putting your nerves on the very edge. You can ‘see’ the faint magic outline where he died, you knew he’d be wearing his homemade medallion to ward off evil. Swallowing, you kneel where his feet would have been, reaching out with your magic.

The flashes that echo painfully through your mind make you gasp.

The cloaked figure is stealing magic. Taking it violently. To him, the more violent and quick, the better. It honestly just makes your stomach roll, the saliva building in your closed and clenched mouth.

But why? You can taste the lighter magic associated with the Seelie Court - the Court of Light - the kind that humans and others often think of when they think of the fair folk. The court thought, it doesn’t deal with humans or others unless absolutely needed…

When you told Hades you suspected a member of the higher courts on your little walk, you hadn’t anticipated to be able to feel it. The boots, the glistening silver swords, the escape when you had moved a forgotten tiny part of the sithen under the alley -- now it all makes a lot more sense now. The shiver that runs down your spine at the implications this creates. May the God and Goddess spare all those innocents involved, you pray quickly.

A henchman for the shining Seelie Court, sweet baby Jesus. What had you gotten yourself into?? What had SHIELD stumbled into??

The residual death is quick, but still it steals into you, taking away what little baited breath you had. Feeling the tears prickle your eyes as you try to figure out these new pieces of the puzzle.

Hades can’t help you - Gods can’t interfere with other pantheons businesses, good or bad.

Hades can’t save you from the other half of yourself.

It was something you had always known in the back of your mind, but the harsh slap of it hurt more than the death and falling pieces of this horrible plot. But...just maybe there could be a light in this cave of fae intrigue and murder. There are others whom you can save.

The three stolen wouldn’t be taken to the sithen, that would be too obvious of their involvement. Plus, they were fae and thus could leave as long as not put into a dungeon there and theoretically had enough power and know-how to do so. But had the cloaked figure been draining them, you weren’t sure if they could get out or away.

So, that would mean they were still somewhere close by.

The last traces of magic from the murder, Cyrus’s own traces, and your hellhound senses in overdrive to track everything - you’re drowning as the sun sinks just a tad lower in the sky, creating the beginnings of the lovely orange autumn color you adore. Fall was closer than you remembered. You can vaguely hear your name being said, like being underwater almost. Then you can smell sage, lemon and juniper - the sweet smells of the entrance to the Underworld.

The way the newcomer says your name grounds you, while Bucky calling your name brings you closer to the surface - your mate...Bucky brings you back to reality. And he’s protective and bristling slightly at the other man who is holding your arm’s firmly.

You’re looking up at the slightly blurry face of a traditionally handsome Greek man, all muscle and blurry smile, with thick black hair and sweet honey brown eyes.

“I hate your human disguise sometimes,” You grunt and turn to plop down on your ass as Bucky watches as the man lean in and proceed to lick from your chin up to your hairline. “Okay, okay...thank you Cerb,” You shove his chest gently to get him to release you, reaching for Bucky’s hand automatically. “This is my mate, Bucky. Don’t snap at him.” Cerberus gives you puppy dog eyes, his nerves calming down slightly to hold his form better. So at least now it was one face instead of the three blurry ones superimposed over each other.

“Did you just say Cerby?!” Wanda sounds astonished.

“As in Cerberus?” Natasha questions calmly. The guardian to the Underworld stands up and he’s visibly excited looking from you to Natasha and Wanda.

“Yes,” You coo. “This is my best friend in the whole world and Underworld, Cerberus. Cerberus, this is Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers is his best friend. Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Phil Coulson. Wanda Maximoff and her twin, Pietro.”

“Pleasure,” His deep voice almost has an echo to it. “Lord said you needed looking after, pup. He was right. Too close.”

“I know,” You sigh out as your hand subconsciously clenches Bucky’s a little tighter even after he helps you up.

“No,” Cerberus growls. “Close.”

“Fucking great,” You growl out in reply, anger rising.

“See anything?” Phil asks, forehead furrowed just so. You sigh again, anger dissipating as quickly as it had boiled up.

“We are in a shit ton of trouble.”

“We are aware of that, kid,” Steve states, crossing his arms over his wide chest.

“Nooo. Like real shit ton of trouble. Seelie Court trouble.” Phil lets out a string of curses as Clint’s stance gets more rigid. “The cloaked asshole is working for the Seelie Court. I can taste the residual light magic. And he’s stealing magic. That’s why he’s been killing most of them. Kidnapping the more powerful ones to drain them continuously, I’m guessing.”

“He can’t take them back to the golden sithen,” Phil states, following where you’re leading. “So they’re still in the area.”

“I think he took them where there’s more greenery and nature, it would make it more comfortable for him. Someplace secretive to drain and hide them.”

“Central Park,” Bucky reasons. “It makes the most sense. It would be easy for him to hide them there, especially if he was -” He stops as you start exhibiting nervous energy beside him, enough to upset his wolf and your scent to change. “What is it?”

“Only royalty can move the sithen,” You whisper, eyes focused solely on Phil.

“I have to let Fury know…” Phil looks at you with pity and sadness appearing in his blue eyes. “Everything.”

“I figured as much when I tasted their magic,” face contorting with a pained expression is all Bucky sees on your lovely face as you whisper the words defeatedly. He’s on edge now with your changing emotions and scents, trying to keep his eyes from shifting too much or his fangs popping out to prepare for the impending fight, the need to protect and soothe you almost overwhelming him internally.

“I’m sorry,” He offers, moving forward to squeeze your shoulder sympathetically, withdrawing the phone from his pant pocket as your free hand shoots forward to grip his wrist tightly, a plea written plainly for all to see on your almost panicking face.

“Please Phil...delay it til the morning. I can’t...they’ll -” Bucky and Steve can taste the fear that’s rolling off you now, raising his hackles as Cerberus eyes him with interest before returning his gaze to Duchess.

“I won’t let your other side harm you,” Cerby snarls, his handsome olive face contorted with anger as you wince hard. Bucky tugs you into him as much as he can with your iron grip still on Phil, soothing the pacing and snarling wolf in his head as much as he is soothing you.

That’s why you said you should be better at wording things, Bucky thinks to himself, nuzzling his nose into your hair, fangs no longer a worry as your scent shifts yet again to worry. Only now he realizes you are concerned about how he sees you.

“Do you care I’m a werewolf and vampire crossbreed 100 year old plus former assassin?” Bucky mumbles softly against your head, making you pull away to look up at him, shock and confusion making you wrinkle your forehead at your mate. Your scent shifts to calm Bucky now, eyes tearing up just a tad as his wolf shakes and settles down. Mate needs reassurance.

“No!” You release Phil’s wrist to cup Bucky’s cheek, thumb moving over the course hairs of his beard. “I don’t care what you are. You’re mine, James.” The light in Bucky’s eyes stun you with his smile, his eyes crinkling beautifully. Just radiating his happiness in that simple little motion of his elated smile, your inner hound almost dopey at the tenderness your mate is exuding.

“Then why would I care if you're half fae?” He presses his forehead down against yours, making you squeeze your eyes closed to prevent the tears from falling. “You’re my mate, Duchess. I don’t care what you are, as long as I get to keep you. Understand, doll?”

“I just don’t want to be known as one of them...as one of the Shining Court. That’s not me.” You keep your eyes squeezed close, taking comfort in your mate’s touch and his surrounding scent, blocking out everything but Bucky.

“You moving that fast with that sword was hot though,” Bucky rumbles out, making laughter just peel out of you, opening your eyes to be met with those intensive cerulean orbs.

“You’re too good,” You copy his statement from the closet earlier, smiling up at the most important person in your life.

But that comment does make you think, yanking your forehead away from Bucky to snap back to Coulson.

“Phil! It’s for my father!”

“You sure?”

“It has to be! Only royalty can move the sithen! The High Prince has probably a quarter of the fae power I do and his son probably barely enough to magically open a doorway in the sithen.”

“Wait,” Clint starts, twirling a toothpick between his front teeth before pointing it at you and continuing. “So you’re a fae princess?!”

You wince again, Bucky’s metal fingers slipping under the edge of your shirt bottom to stroke your skin to ease the emotions swirling in and around you - at least they are much more in control and subdued than minutes ago. “Technically, yes.” You admit in a defeated whisper. “My grandmother is the Queen of the Seelie Court.”

“Which is why Peter said you were ordering the cloaked man to answer you,” Steve states, rolling his shoulders to relieve some tension. Too late you realize that since Steve and Bucky are actually pack that he was getting some diluted effects of your emotional rollercoaster just now just by being so close to the two of you. ‘Sorry,’ You mouth to him as he gives you a soft smile in return.

“So that’s why the ground shook?” Bucky asked, forehead slightly furrowed at Phil then down to you. “How can you move the whole sithen?”

“Oh, I can’t. I couldn’t do that unless I was Queen and would need a whole lot of blood magic to back it up to move it. And honestly, the sithen is a living thing, so it would need to be...um...convinced. But moving pieces of it - especially forgotten or ‘dead’ spaces that the court don’t access - is fairly easy if you know what you are doing. Hades is Lord of the Underworld. Is the “Underworld” just under Greece? No. It’s everywhere AND a specific place. The same properties apply to the sithen,” You shrug as if it hasn’t really occurred to you the schematics of it all.

“Ahh, sort of like the Sanctum Sanctorum of Dr. Strange’s,” Pietro supplies, tapping a finger against his chin with a small grin.

“Yes and no.”

“I was thinking more like the jet,” Wanda supplies to her twin who frowns at her.

“So if Dr. Strange had a Sanctum Sanctorum jet?”

“Jesus. Christ.” Coulson and Natasha mutter loudly in sync, sighing and turning away slightly from the twins and Clint who is nodding along with their continued discussion.

“So could you find the piece of the sithen in Central Park?” Steve moves the conversation back to the kidnapped victims, you watching him unclench and clench his right hand slightly. You move a little more into Bucky and reach for Steve’s right hand. His head snaps over to you almost comically fast, while you just try to exude a calming energy. Bucky whispers a soft ‘thank you’ against your temple before gently reaching over to squeeze Steve’s shoulder. You can almost feel Steve’s blood pressure drop once both you and Bucky are calm and now working on calming him.

“Yeah, I could. I’ve scented the magic signature he’s used both attacking me and at the crime scenes, so shouldn’t be too hard to locate it. I mean, I won’t be exactly spot on, but will be close enough to be able to move the sithen bit to me and manipulate it open hopefully.”

“So that’s the play,” Natasha states as Phil whips out his cell, causing another spike in anxiety to roll through you, but Bucky and Steve both quickly whisk it away with their touch.

“Yes, sir,” Phil states evenly. “We may have located the kidnapped parties. I request a team to subtly clear and surround Central Park. Yes, sir.” His right eyelid gives one lone twitch. “Yes, all Avengers to the Park. We are dealing with Seelie Court involved matters. Yes, she is here and will be leading us to the kidnapped hostages. Affirmative. Will do, sir.” He hangs up to find everyone staring at him. “Tony will be bringing everyone’s gear and then we’ll head to Central Park. If you have any requests or needs, please bother Stark. I have a whole ops to coordinate.” A black suv pulls up behind him, which no one even flinches at. “I’ll meet you all in an hour. Stark will know the location.”

“Onward to probable death!” Pietro mutters with fake enthusiasm and you frown at him, Cerberus moving closer to you until his arm is brushing. The scent of sage, juniper and lemon - overlapped with the scent of coffee, cinnamon, cedar and a soft ocean breeze, things distinctly Bucky to you, even the scent of orange faintly coming from Steve - do nothing to help the pit in your belly.

How true, you muse morbidly, glancing up into sad honey brown eyes. You can both catch the faint, trace smell of death.

And you both know it’s from you.

-----*****-----*****-----

Tony had brought you several SHIELD jumpsuits in various colors: gray, blue and black, smirking as you had raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously, little hellhound. They’ll all form to fit you. Bucky and Peter mentioned swords, so I brought some thigh holsters as well as a back holster, since I didn’t know the length of your swords. Natasha has extra guns aboard the jet if you are into that. Also, we don’t have time for you two to be frisky, so -”

“Shut up, Tony,” Bucky had growled from behind him, just making Tony smile wider. Seeing Bucky in his hero suit was a whole different sexy than last night and this morning. Well, you now understood why Tony was having concerns about you two because - dear gods did you want Bucky to bend you over something and take you with that suit on. You’d be equally happy to just drop to your knees and thank your mate for this look. Bucky obviously can see and sense the changes as you are basically drooling and clenching your thighs, while having an iron grip on the dark blue suit you had been favoring.

“Remember!” Tony says loudly while shaking a finger at you before Steve comes up beside Bucky and herds the grinning man from the room where you’re surrounded by suits and weapons.

“Eyes are glowing again, doll,” Bucky purrs as he comes to a halt before you.

“Can’t help it, it’s an emotional reaction most of the time,” You breath out, a smile playing on the corner of his lips at your answer. “Used to just do it when I was extremely pissed off. Now apparently it decides to pop up whenever I’m -”

“Horny?”

“Focusing. On. My. Mate.” You insist as he rumbles out a laugh, bending forward to kiss your forehead sweetly. You tilt your head up to catch his eye again, giving him a small smile as you reach out to take his flesh hand. “But just FYI, I can smell you’re horny too. And them pants is tiiight.” He captures your lips in a searing kiss, pulling you so tight against his chest that the buckles dig into you a little, just making you all the more riled up.

“Mate,” Bucky’s voice is part plea and warning in it’s roughness after you two pull apart, you nosing along his throat, kissing the skin where your mark should adorn.

“You could leave to let me get dressed…?”

“Where the hell is the fun in that, doll? Huh?” Both of you are chuckling, touching each other as much as possible but struggling to keep it PG.

“Bucky, I know you don’t want to bring this up…”

“Don’t.”

“But this could be it, ya know? So I need you to sort of brace yourself if it does.” His back is now ramrod straight and his jaw clenched tight, but holding your gaze.

“I won’t let it happen.” The determination from your first meeting is back, but you can only muster the softest look in reply, letting the suit fall to the ground as you cup his face with both hands.

“Sweetheart,” You coo gently, watching the sadness dance in his eyes that he’s trying hard to hide. “I adore you. I trust you inexplicably. I would happily spend the rest of my life with you. To mate you, to marry you...to have a little baby that looks just like you, that’s all I want. You deserve some peace and so. much. love.” His hands are gripping tight onto your waist, you can feel the fingertips digging in as you continue. “But you know I’m marked for death, Bucky. They’ve tried most of my life to circumvent it, stop it, undo it. But death comes for me regardless. I need you to not pull away from everyone if that happens. You’ll need them. Please.”

“I don’t - I don’t want to deal with that. I can’t. I can’t lose you too. I said I would protect you and keep you safe. I’m no Alpha if I don’t try. I’m no mate if I don’t try.” You’re at a standstill, both now in emotional turmoil over this topic, trying not to let it bleed into the other. He presses his forehead against yours hard, staring into each other’s eyes. “I love you,” He whispers and it’s all you ever wanted to hear. Right now, you had all wanted right here - a wonderful mate who loved you and would try to move heaven and earth for you, who didn’t care what you were. One of the most beautiful men in the whole world who looked at you like the sun rose and set by your whim. The whole thing was unfathomable.

“I love you, Bucky,” You breathe out in reply, longing for any other outcome but the one you know is coming. “And I will love you as long as you live.” Bucky makes a noise in the back of his throat, a couple tears sliding down his cheeks as yours begin to fall freely, letting him wrap his arms so securely around you as his beautiful blue jacket absorbs your quiet sobs.

-----*****-----*****-----

The sun is nearly set, the sky streaked a hundred hues of dark pink and red as New York slowly descends into darkness.

Bucky is standing right beside you, outfit bringing out his eyes as he surveys the scene stoically. You’d chosen the dark blue jumpsuit to match his, arms brushing subtly as you stand just outside the magic lines - and sight lines from the sithen - of Central Park.

Although you can’t see them, you can vaguely sense the score of SHIELD agents and Avengers scattered on the edges of the treelines. But you can ‘see’ the edge of the piece of sithen just shy of the Azalea Pond at the center of the Ramble. Bucky had been the one with his tablet naming things off to you - you had only moved to New York two years ago after all - trying to help you narrow down areas where it could have been. You wish you had had the time for him to show you around New York, around Brooklyn, and places that still stood from when he was younger.

Cerberus is on the other side of the pond, should the cloaked figure try to escape, swathed in the grip of Underworld magic to keep him invisible and thus much more easy to herd or pounce.

Wanda is piggybacking off your abilities, twined with yours temporarily so she could sense the heartbeats of the victims now that you had a location. Sam is in the trees to the left of the pond with Peter, Steve and Tony on the right while Clint, Natasha and Pietro cut off any other possible exit points. Bruce is staying by the ambulances, ready to Hulk out should the need arise, although you could tell from his face he was radiating the bright hope it absolutely would not.

Any way the cloaked figure ran, he’d be funneled where the Avengers chose. There would be no escape. As a failsafe, Pietro would be the only one to engage with him except you, since he would be the most able to take him on with the fae speed.

You drag yourself back to reality, turning to gaze over at Bucky and steeling yourself with one last deep breath before starting down the short path to the Azalea Pond.

“Be safe for me, doll,” Bucky says softly, almost as soft as the small breeze suddenly around you two. You manage to nod, throat closing up again. The fair folk do not lie. It had been beaten into you, quite literally, when you were little at court. You want nothing more than to lie to Bucky in that moment. To reassure him you will be safe for him. But the fair folk do not lie.

Good thing you are not solely fair folk. You reach for his hand, grasping just his flesh fingertips in your grip and squeezing them hard. It’s a millisecond in time, but it seems like one of those Lord of the Rings moments that are in that slow, dramatic, longing-filled motion. “I’ll do my best, handsome.” Dropping his hand before you lose your resolve, you take the barely visible path towards the pond. Your magic is swirling with Wanda’s, your senses all in overdrive - so much so you can’t even register the smell of the flowers blooming along the landmark.

Pursing your lips, you whistle a simple five note tune that fae had used for time beyond memory.

From behind you comes that deep, craggly voice, “Greetings, highness.”

“Greetings, servant,” He gives a little hiss at the title you bestow. “SHIELD has sent me to inform you that if you cooperate, you will not be sentenced to death.”

“They are mostly human. I do not fear the humans.”

“You are not wise to not fear them,” You give a pregnant pause, making sure you give that haughty look the court loves to disperse. “If you do not accept this offer, I am to inform you that I, Princess Duchess Propolos Hekatos, will be judge, jury and - if need be - executioner.” He pushes back his cloak hood back, allowing you to finally see his scaled face. He was probably one of very few left over of those lizard scaled dwarves who stayed closer to the caverns around lakes and seas when humans first emerged as semi-civilized, with beautiful almost translucent rainbow sheened scales around his eyes and cheeks, his mouth set in a thin line with no lips.

“I was damned from the get go, princess.”

“We are only as we choose to be - it doesn’t have to be that way,” You insist, leaning a little forward, softening your eyes. Even if you disliked court life, the snobs of court who’s magic had begun to dwindle long before you were born, and how you were treated there - he was the same as you; a discarded fae. He doesn’t reply, though there is a flicker of something in his eyes, simply just unsheathes his double swords and gestures to you with his chin.

“Prepare, half breed,” Although his insult has less venom than the alley last night, you huff out a sigh at his tone. Like he’s just going through the motions. Asshat.

You shift your feet just so, straightening your spine as you wait for his move. Physically you are in that moment, but your power shifts the sithen opening to the side where Steve and Tony are waiting, causing the cloaked man to hiss, baring slightly sharpened front teeth at you. “Little bitch!” And his steel meets yours. “We will both die for this!” He snarls as he tries to drive you back towards the trees and brush opposite the pond, you holding the line as you wait for Wanda to signal you that the people had been recovered.

“I’ll deal with them when the time comes,” You growl low, blocking his blades yet again with a heavy clink, shifting just so that you can reach for Bucky’s favorite knife at the small of your back, tinged with the poison that your cloaked friend had been favoring and stabbing it into his side and piercing his lung with a squelch.

“The poison will do nothing to me,” He spits at you as you twirl your wrist to disarm him of one of the swords and slide Bucky’s knife back into its sheath.

“It will now. Dr Banner mixed it with another, a heavy iron involved one - infused with belladonna - to make you human slow,” You lean in as you block another wide swing from him with the one sword left, smiling wide. “And heal human slow.” The whole of Central Park shakes as you show your hand.

“No! NO!” He screams and hisses, attempting to swing his meaty fists at you now that he was without a weapon.

“I am still my grandmother’s first born grandchild. I am still the High Prince’s first born. I am a Princess of the Seelie High Court.” You lean in as your tone becomes more malicious with each word, watching true fear alight in his mossy green eyes. “And with all the inbreeding and decline for the last century,” You straighten up, your blue flames engulfing you as he attempts to scurry away from you, shielding his eyes against the light you emanate as he falls on his ass in the dense brush and dirt. “Let’s face it - I am probably the most powerful fae aside from the Queen of the Seelie and the King of the Unseelie.” Leaning down, fisting your hand in his cloak, you yank him back upright, snarling as your power dances behind your eyes, careful still to at least to not burn him with your flames. But watching him flinch at the heat, the basic fear all animals have towards a large flame, sets you more alight at the taste of that fear. “And absolutely the wrong person to piss off!”

“Spare me! Please!!” He screams, more high pitched than you had imagined, nearly making you wince as you see the red sparks above the tree line and see a blue clad shadow moving along the treeline coming closer to you. Pietro blurs past you, slapping old iron cuffs on the cloaked man, which sends him quite literally howling and screeching from the burn of the metal.

Your flames give off a few large flickers before they begin to die down when Pietro says that they’ve gotten the kidnapped people to the ambulance they had on stand by, Bucky coming down the path towards you with a small smile on his lips as your eyes meet. Your magic shrinks back towards you, the weight of all the magic and your now overworked abilities settling back into you, your shoulders sagging a little with relief. It wasn’t over, but once your grandmother learned about your father and half-brother then she would be the one to end it.

The look in his cobalt eyes shift quickly, widening and moving to glare directly over your shoulder, his mouth moving in slow motion as he begins to barrel towards you, you begin to turn - only to feel the jerk of your body going forward instead. A glance downward shows a shiny red tip of one of the cloaked man’s swords protruding from just under your breasts, when you hear the mournful howl echo in and around your ears - only to realize it’s three distinct howls. The tang of blood spills into your mouth in a surprised gasp, turning slightly to see who has murdered you.

Your half brother’s hand is shaking slightly as he backs away from you, surprise written on both your faces as the scent of death finally fully fills your nose.

“I never thought -” You wheeze out, taking a few shaky steps towards your half-sibling as Bucky slides to a stop before you, his boots kicking up the fallen green leaves on the grass, both hands grasping your hips firmly as his eyes wander all over your body and face, tears already tracking down his cheeks. “You would have the balls!” You finish with another wheeze, the metallic taste much stronger now.

Bucky turns you to face him as Tony and Peter keep your half-brother from escaping, the darkening greenery of the world around you narrowing down to just Bucky. It’s a beautiful world to be relegated to actually.

“No. NO. Come on, doll. You - you gotta stay with me.” His voice is raw sounding, like he’s trying to not be loud, his metal hand putting pressure on the front wound as if it would help. His forehead is shoved against yours, your entire gaze narrowed to his blue eyes and his damp cheeks as he pulls you into his lap, collapsing the both of you to the ground. It’s funny almost to you in the moment...like you can still hear his loud, pitiful howl like a haunting melody behind everything he’s saying. “Doll, you gotta...come on, gotta fight. I need you to fight. Cerberus, he - he went to get Hades and Hecate. They’ll fix it. Just hold on til they get here, okay?”

“I love you soo much, James Buchanan Barnes,” You’re heartbroken to watch him see your bloody bottom lip tremble, and the color seeping from your face. You can see him weighing all his options through his tears, trying to move your tired hand up to touch him, to comfort him.

“I love you too, babydoll, but please God, please … just stay with me.” The choked up sound of his voice makes you want to cry for causing him this pain. No amount of forewarning could have prepared you for this feeling - the feeling of slowly breaking and killing your mate.

“Mate,” is the last thing you manage to get out before you just go limp in his arms, those jewel eyes he loves so much already just staring up at the first stars twinkling in the sky unseeing. In the back of his mind, his vampire side offers up the idea which he swore to God he would never do. But all too late.

The howl that rips from his throat is pure misery and heartache, his body bowed over his mate’s, his grip still holding her in a vice. The blood cloys her scent, furthering his heartbreak.

He looks up, needing Steve on a near visceral level, only to not see anyone at all. Confusion slightly mars his grief, looking over his shoulder and all around the darkened area, but met with no familiar faces or words in his comms. Confusion gives way to his war training, the alertness on it’s highest notch as he scans around, sniffing delicately at the air as the world seems much darker now than it had just been. When he turns back towards the pond, on edge at the very tampered down scents surrounding him, he spots three almost identical women standing there with those dark pink azaleas framing behind them almost like a fresco - just appearing as if from nowhere like Hades had earlier on the street.

“James Barnes,” The one on the left begins, long dark brown hair falling freely to her waist. “We are sorry for your loss,” the one on the right continues, her hair half up in intricate braids. “But now that we have fulfilled our ill-spoken creed,” the middle speaks, all that dark mahogany hair piled atop her hair like a crown, before they all join hands as the hairs on the back of his neck and arms stand to attention at the sudden surge of power that surrounds him, his arms tensing as a wave of azalea scent blows around the two of them, bringing Duchess as close to him as possible again. “We will return our little cousin back to you.”

His mouth goes dry, forehead wrinkled in not understanding as he looks down at his mate, her eyes still open and her skin still dampened with that death pallor. Bucky gently uses his metal digits to close her eyelids, grief and nausea rolling through him simultaneously while the ground beside Bucky gives a small shake and splits open, Hades climbing so elegantly and easily from the ground below with Cerberus - in three-headed giant black dog form - with a wispy blue thing dangling from the middle head’s mouth. There isn’t even enough room left in him to be shocked, there is just acceptance of whatever this shit show was.

“Turns out, sometimes you just have to accept Fate and go through it in order to stop it,” Hades murmurs in his deep molasses voice, bending down just so, his long fingers gripping the back of Bucky’s neck loosely. “Will you accept your fate now, Bucky?”

“I’ll do anything for her,” Bucky rasps out with conviction shining in his tear-riddled eyes.

“Splendid,” Hades motions with his free hand for Cerberus to come forward. “You must take a mouthful of this first.” He orders sternly as a beautiful blonde woman, shorter than Duchess and with a more heavy hourglass shape, emerges from the crevice to the Underworld with a black and golden chalice. Bucky marvels at the tiny wild roses popping up in her wake as she walks around Cerberus to stand between himself and Hades. She sniffles as she looks at Duchess, one hand leaving the chalice as she frowns over at the Fates before brushing two fingers down his left cheek to his chin, the warmth from just her fingers seeping quickly into his icy feeling skin. He doesn’t even notice the Fates disappearing just after that, he’s so focused on the goddess before him.

“Remove the sword, Hades.” It’s gone with a wave at the woman’s order, Bucky unconsciously tightening his hold once again on his mate. “Now, Bucky, sweet little honeysuckle boy, take a mouthful of this - but don’t swallow.” She brings the cup to his lips and tips it up. “Now, when Cerberus drops her soul back into her body, kiss her and push all the ambrosia into her mouth. It’ll take a few seconds for her soul to readjust and the ambrosia to heal her before she comes back to consciousness, okay honeysuckle?” Bucky manages a jerky nod, rewarded with a pat to his cheek before she backs up towards Hades, Cerberus giving a huff as he leans down towards Duchess’s body.

“Three. Two. One.” Hades counts down, Cerberus’s light brown eyes locked onto Bucky’s before the middle head gently opens it’s very large jaw and the blue wisp floats down to her body. “Now.” Bucky smashes his lips against hers, feeding the liquid into her mouth with an edge of desperation barely restrained within him.

“Now we wa-” A gasp startles you all, her jewel-toned eyes blinking rapidly as her hands claw at Bucky’s waist where they’re trapped between them, until they’re focused on Bucky. Bucky lets loose a sob as she smiles up at him, blood now gone from her face.

“Hi handsome,” A tiny little cough to clear her throat. “Bucky,” Duchess manages to rasp out before she’s crushed to Bucky’s chest.

“I lost you,” Bucky half gasps/half sobs into her hair, the scent of blood seemingly long gone, a terrible dream from which he can now finally awaken...it was just her again. Just his mate.

“But you found me, handsome.”

Bucky manages to get out a soft chuckle as he pulls back to cup her face in his hands. “You do anything like that again, doll, and I swear I’ll -” She cuts him off with a kiss but he doesn’t miss the smile and silent eyeroll. When they break apart, she brings her hand up to cup his cheek, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone repeatedly as Bucky just reveals in the warmth of her fingers and palms against his skin.

“You are mine,” She whispers so damn gently, like a breath of life gently fanning over his lips as her forehead bumps against his softly. Bucky understood this was her sign that everything was alright, that closeness of foreheads pressed together and reading every emotion in each other's eyes.

“And you are mine,” Bucky affirms, electricity buzzing down his spine before he smiles wide at his mate, happy to see her own smile widen as he does so. “You’re stuck with me for forever now.” She tries to feign a disappointed look and tone, to school her eyes and keep her lips from twitching up in a grin is poorly executed.

“Oh, no. What a terrible thing, Sarge,” It comes out more as a purr, lighting a warmth and fire from within Bucky, elation now bleeding as a scent out of him at this tiny but monumental moment with his mate. A deep voice clearing his throat behind you brings you both a bit back more to the present, Bucky glancing to the left as your smile stays gracing your gorgeous face.

“Welcome back!” The goddess burst out, tears opening flowing down her lovely and soft olive oval face, falling to her knees behind Duchess and throwing her arms around her shoulders, squeezing her fiercely. She even pulls Bucky closer, smoothing a hand up and down his back as she hugs both of them just this side of painful.

“Thank you, theía.” Duchess grunts out from the tight sandwich she’s in, looking over to her uncle. “Theíos, what happened to that little motherfucker?”

Hades stern looking face breaks out in a tiny smile, looking so kindly down at the scene before him as Cerberus’s three heads lap and nuzzle at the three on ground. “He’s still being held on the other plane. And speaking of which, we should return quickly. Hecate might actually kill him and start a bigger conflict than which we already have on our hands.”

“Well that answers some of my questions,” Bucky mutters just behind her right ear, nipping at the earlobe gently as Persephone releases you all, gently wiping away her tears.

“I’ll fill you in as best I can later. After someone fills me in, that is,” Duchess promises with a quick but warm kiss to his lips. Hades helps his wife up, kissing both of her palms and exchanging a long, loving look before extending his hand for Duchess, Bucky shooting up beside her as they each have a hand hold on her and help to steady her as she sways just a touch.

“Much later,” Bucky agrees with the barest hint of a nod, just needing to soothe his mate still. Frankly, just needing to reconnect and optimally be alone with his mate. Hopefully uninterrupted for at least two weeks, a month - two months would be absolutely dreamy and very, very far fetched with all the shit they’ll have to deal with afterwards regarding this case. But Bucky would move whole cities to make good on what she’d said to him aboard the jet too. Finally get him some of that apple pie life that he, Steve and the Commandos had talked about all those years and years ago.

He watches as you roll your neck, gently pushing away one of Cerby’s heads to shake both your arms out before reaching up to finally scratch at each of Cerberus’s heads one by one, kissing at their muzzles with gusto as the giant hellhound wiggles it’s butt with abandon. “I didn’t get that warm of a welcome,” Bucky remarks with a smirk, his mouth breaking into a wider smile at the look she shoots him.

“Because that is something personal you’ll get later on, Sarge,”

“Geallaidhean, an dannsair beag agam,” Bucky growls softly, making sure to seal it with a deep, hard kiss. Promises, my little dancer. She looks a little flustered when they break apart, eyes not as focused as before. He knows she can smell the very pleased scent rolling off of him at her reaction.

“Such an Alpha,” She mutters with a teasing eye roll, keeping her hand on his chest. “You wear that jacket and you can have whatever you like,” comes the whisper against his lips, a soft growl punctuating the end before he takes another kiss. “Okay. Okay. Now, let’s go shank the little fairy prince,” Baring your teeth is more cute to Bucky than terrifying initially, but knowing what you’re capable of does make it scarier. And sexier, he wasn’t going to lie to himself. He loves that his mate is that intimidating.

And quite honestly, what will be more scary to the little prince than someone he feared and loathed coming back after watching them die? What's more, coming back for their retribution on him from the other side. Bucky can bet anyone that it’s not a hell of a lot actually.

“Brace yourself for it,” She whispers, hand wrapping tight around his metal one. Bucky feels a tug at his navel as the whole world around him seems to lighten at least ten shades, the overwhelming scent of blood returning, along with the pond waters, and Steve suddenly all fill his nose at once, Steve’s hands suddenly wrapping just this side of painful on his upper arms.

The scent of confusion and awe fill the area around them like a sudden breeze, the fair folk Prince calling for the God and Goddess to protect him in a whisper which might as well be a shout in the eerily quiet park. It seemed like even the regular wildlife noises in the Park had shown restraint, watching the otherworldly conflict in reverence.

“Did you miss me, brother?” No one on the other side of Manhattan could mistake the venom in her voice for anything other than deadly.

“You don’t understand!” The man - if you could call him that, no one in Central Park would though - shouts defiantly with a slice of whining at the end, his pupils blown as his eyes dart around the small clearing with barely restrained panic, nearly everywhere but on Duchess.

“Spare me your bullshit, Bradye,” Duchess growls, the lights beginning to dance behind her eyes as she moves closer to him, leaving her mate behind her. She smiles a bit triumphantly, maliciously. “You have come into this realm and by doing so are now subject to its rules and punishments. That useless title you hold will do you no good.” A few tsks come from her, “For you will face a death punishment either way. Hecate has requested the Queen come here and you and our father will pay for, let’s see, eight deaths and three kidnappings.”

“The fair folk do not lie,” He reminds in a taunt, thinking he’s won something. Her dangerous smile makes his millisecond of gloating worthless.

“Oh, of that I am well aware. I was schooled in that rule with leather. And steel. And sharp blows...and I think it may have slipped your mind, but I DID die. Charon saw me waiting upon the shore of the River Styxx. And he cannot lie about the souls he sees and ferries. Is the shaking of your hand as you drove your servant’s blade into my chest so quickly forgotten? Don’t worry,” Flames begin to gather around her ankles, slowly creeping upward like a nonsensical dance. “I have worked with SHIELD to document all you and our father have done. Did you know that there are some cameras opposite where your servant was seen entering and exiting? And that it has files that date back to before the first murder? Where you can make out two male figures walking into the park and it has a slight shake to it? Almost like an earthquake...or perhaps even a sithen moving…” The color drains from his already pasty face as Duchess strides closer, the blue and white flames now licking up her hips and lower back. There is a slight odor of urine, making Steve and Bucky both wrinkle their noses as Tony takes a small step away from him.

It’s a power move, not just the ever shifting flames but Bucky can clearly spot how sharp her teeth have grown, how her midnight blue fingernails are now black pointed tips. She’s allowing her fae side out as well, those multicolored lights bobbing and dancing behind her irises as each step she takes results in tiny little faerie rings, the tiny flowers blooming in the colors of the pinks, greens, and light blues that dance behind her eyes as small little beings descend from the trees and pixie-looking fae flit from the flowers around the Azalea Pond.

“You have no proof,” The haughtiness returns, looking down at Duchess, and had his voice not shook, might have pulled it off. He also eyes the fae joining the group in the clearing around the pond, his eyes catching sight of the faerie rings behind her and the shock that shows in his eyes is nearly equal to watching her appear back on this plane - alive.

“You hear that, Grandmother? Everything I asked Hecate’s handmaidens to give you is not proof.”

Bucky will remember that look forever. The snapping up of his head so fast it looked like it hurt, the look of complete and utter stunned surprise that seems to echo through and around him and actually make a tremor run through the little slimeball as Fury, Coulson and a lovely looking older woman with hair that went from silver at the top of her head and slowly gained a darker red as it came to rest at her waist came behind him into the clearing.

“I have heard all in this park. I have watched your hand slay your sister.” There is a flash of fury in her eyes, which Bucky notices are mismatched. One green as freshly mowed grass and the other a dark pine bark brown. “And had she not been preoccupied with keeping everyone in this park safe, sealing the sithen closed, and focused on her mate, you wouldn’t have stood a chance, you preposterous, moronic, useless child!” Her voice raises but her face never changes from an indifferent look that Bucky had seen Queen Elizabeth sport more than a few times on tv. “You and your father will be punished to the fullest extent of this plane’s laws. Before that you both will be brought before both courts of Fae and stripped of all your titles, rights, magic -” She looks down her nose at him with a sniff of disdain, “This applies more to your father as he actually has abilities. And you will also be made to pay for restitution to the families of those you had killed and of course those three whom you stole magic from and tortured. By our laws and the old ways, your sister has death rights on all three of you involved. And I must say, if I was her, I would drag your punishments out slowly...meticulously...painfully.”

Duchess strides back over to Bucky, hands already reaching out for him as the fire dies down around her - not as consuming, but still a bright warmth that shadows her entirety. Wrapped safely in his arms, Bucky rests his chin on the top of her head as Steve gently brushes his hand up and down her arm a few times, just reassuring her of their pack bond before taking a small step back to let them bond more. She pulls back a little from the comfort of his arms, tilting her head back to look up at him, Bucky knowing exactly what she wants. This was all very familiar to what happened just before she died...and honestly they all need that reassurance that everything is okay still. And this is the simplest and best way he can do it now; Her lips are soft and easily molded to his own. His sensitive ears can still pick up the little chirps and flitter sounds of small wings of the tiny fae that had climbed into this plane at Duchess’s silent command, gathered closer to her than her Grandmother, waiting for something else it seems.

A sharp featured man dressed in a black suit jacket with heavy, shining gold threaded designs along the wrists, collar, and lapels comes into the clearing with two men trailing behind him dragging a third between them.

The tiny beings begin a high pitched whine as the dragged man is thrown at the Faerie Queen’s feet. The man in black eyeing the tiny creatures with an unreadable something in his eyes.

Bucky is shocked at how much Duchess shares her face shape and nose with her father. Everything else must have come from her mother, making her features softer. Her eye color - she had told him last night - had come from her mother’s father, her mother’s side also responsible for her more soft Greek eye shape and supple body as well. Her father’s face however is harsher, more weathered looking than even his mother’s face. His eyes are a muddy brown and he looks to be maybe an inch or so taller than Duchess herself, unusual for a male - and even most women - of high Fae blood to be that short and not claim Brownie or Goblin blood, both of which a high Fae would absolutely loathe to admit to tainting their line. Him and his son seem to have been the tailings of a long and powerful bloodline, while Duchess was an anomaly of both sides of her family tree which was probably why she was so powerful. She was seemingly that red-headed gene in a sea of black hair which came about once every few generations.

Steve moves closer to the two of them again as the Queen looks down at her son with even more disgust than her grandson, which Bucky would not have thought possible a second ago. The sharp featured man comes to stand before Duchess and gives a deep nod, the two men behind him taking a knee as they come to a stop, the High Prince of the Seelie Court and his son watching from behind the Queen with shock and anger mixed on both their faces.

“Your highness, we at the Unseelie Court are thankful to you as it was a forgotten part of our court that was taken.” His bright green eyes look almost hesitant for his next words. “We are indebted to you for clearing this up. And also for clearing our court of involvement. The Unseelie Court is indebted to you, Princess Duchess Propolos Hekatos.”

Duchess pulls away a little from Bucky and Steve to sink into a deep curtsy, “Thank you, King Odhran. May your debt be cleared swiftly.” The two men behind him rise and they all go over to the Seelie Queen as Duchess’s flames die down further, pulsing softly in time with soft flutters and swayings of the tiny fae that have moved closer still.

“I will be seeing you later for their merited punishments, cousin,” The man says indifferently while also containing a hint of malice.

“Good evening until then, Odhran.” He and his men disappear as the Queen waves her hand to the men and women holding the prisoners formerly known as her family. “Fury. Coulson. We will be off now. They will be put into your custody in a week’s time. My granddaughter will, of course, be there for the handoff as a representative of the good will of my court.” Bucky doesn’t like that she’s ordering Duchess, fighting to suppress a growl. Does she not know he has plans for his mate?? She turns to address said granddaughter. “You will attend this handoff as a Princess of the Seelie Court. Come see me the morning before the handoff, as we have things we need to discuss. Please thank your goddess, Hecate, again for her swift actions and Hades for his too.” Duchess sinks into that deep curtsy once again before nodding at the trees and pond, the tiny creatures melting back into the waters and darkening branches like shadows, her Grandmother watching with something close to fondness on her face as the guards and prisoners disappear first, then her elegant frame takes a few steps and is gone as fast and quietly as the others.

Fury holds his hand straight up in the air after they vanish, no one making a move, just light breathing as everyone glances around the clearing, looking at Duchess and then Coulson who both give a firm nod before he lowers his hand and clears his throat. Fury’s good eye looks tired as fuck to Bucky.

“Alright people, shit shows over. Wanda, please begin magically cleansing this spot with Pietro, I want to be out of here in under an hour. Coulson, get me updates and signed paperwork from the three rescued for prosecution. Tony and Vision, keep the area contained until after the cleansing. SHIELD agents, please collect photos and evidence before the cleansing. Originals we keep, copies to the NYPD. Falcon and Spidey, back on patrols for the next few hours. Barnes and Rogers, take the lady home. I think she’s done and had enough for tonight. Everyone else, find something to do to make this go as fast as goddamn possible.”

“Roger, roger!” Bucky and Steve call out, Bucky tossing his flesh arm over her shoulder, Steve on his left side as they all wave silently to their friends and begin their way out of Central Park.

“This is one of the most terrible evenings of my life,” Steve mutters as Hades, Cerberus - in his human form - and a third figure, who Bucky can scent and see is definitely not the extra curvy Persephone, wave from further up the treeline ahead of them. “And I was just on the edge of the whole thing - witness and secondary pack feelings between you two. I might need a cigarette.” Steve mutters as he runs one hand through his hair and then down his face after taking a deep breath and letting it out.

“You haven’t smoked since 1938,” Bucky remarks with an eyeroll. “And that was before we knew it was bad for you, punk.”

“And this was one of the most terrible evenings of your life so far!” Steve turns his light blue eyes towards her with his Captain America signature disapproving glare at her overly perky tone. “The Seelie Queen says thank you. In that special fair folk way,” Duchess lays on the happy sarcastic tone as they approach the trio.

“As if I give a single fuck,” The woman’s dark voice growls out, her full lips set in a frown at the news. “How do you feel, mikrí mou skoteiní?”

“I told you, your little dark one is fine,” Hades reiterates with an eyeroll.

“I feel wonderful now, eroméni.” Duchess squeezes Bucky’s hand before ducking under his arm and pressing her forehead against Hecate’s as they intertwine both their hands, the power swirling softly around the two of them.

Bucky can feel the comfort in the darkness and mist that surround them temporarily, the two pulling apart and grinning at each other more like sisters or best friends than what they were.

“Mistress, this is my Bucky,” She stretches her hand out to him, Bucky forever heeding her siren call as he slips his hand into hers. “And that is our Steve Rogers.”

“I am honored to be in your company, gentleman. My mikrí mou skoteiní needs more family. I am glad she has found not only her mate, but a pack.” Her face shifts minutely from ecstatic to a little teasing. “One that will surely grow soon?”

“My baby doesn’t need to be having babies just yet!” Cerberus says in his deep honeyed voice, the slight echo noticeable now.

“My ma raised me right, ma’am. I got to mate and marry her before we go that path. My girl hasn’t even been to Coney Island.”

“Psssh. You haven’t been to Disneyland.”

“I was starting with Brookyln and Coney Island, doll.”

“Whatever you say, handsome,” She sighs out with a smile as Hades chuckles.

“And so it begins, Bucky.” Bucky grins down at his mate.

“I can’t wait.”

“Cheeseballs...the both of you,” Steve laughs out as Hades pulls Duchess into a hug, kissing her forehead before pulling away.

“Bring the boy down in a few days for brunch. Persephone will be elated, well more elated, to see you mated and bonded. Steve is welcome as well. You know how we love certain companies in the Underworld.”

“I shall bring the handmaidens as well. Perhaps we can get Mr. Rogers a mate as well,” Hecate teases again as Steve’s ears and neck turn bright red.

“We’ll call to check in tomorrow,” Hades continues, hand stuck out to Bucky who shakes it more firmly than last time which makes the God of the Underworld’s smile widen. “Gentlemen.” He extends his hand to Steve, giving him his own hard handshake before stepping back for Cerberus to enthusiastically hug all three of them.

“I love new pack members!” His echo-y deep timber reveals his obvious happiness, Hecate eye rolling good-naturedly beside him.

“I’ll text you later,” a smirk is painted on her full lips as she stares at Duchess. “But I understand if you are busy.”

“Goodnight Hecate!” comes Duchess’s embarrassed reaction, Bucky wrapping his metal arm around her waist and winking at Hecate. “Stop that!” She swats at Bucky’s chest playfully, just for him to catch it and kiss her fingertips.

“Let’s head home, doll.” Her eyes brighten instantly.

“Ooooh! I’ve never been to Stark Tower!” She states as Steve full belly laughs.

“He meant your bar or our shared apartment in Brooklyn.”

“But I’ll take you to the Tower in a few days,” Bucky promises with a kiss to her open palm as her temporary puppy dog eyes brighten.

“Goodnight all,” Hecate and Hades state simultaneously as Cerberus gives Duchess one last kiss to her cheek before rubbing his own cheek against it.

“Goodnight!” Steve, Bucky and Duchess chime in reply, watching the gods and guardian take a handful of steps before disappearing further up the path to the right, Bucky leading his pack down the left path towards 74th Street.

“So, whatcha up to later, Sargent?” Duchess begins as they enter the area just before the Boathouse Restaurant, squinting just a bit at the brightness.

“Well, I got this mate who smells like fresh baked bread, lemon squares, cayenne, and a little hint of mint - who is in dire need of a mating mark and bond. And lots of baby making practice. Then I was thinking I take her for lunch at the Tower in a couple days to show her off.”

“Can you schedule an old school tour after the Tower lunch?”

“Of course, doll,” Bucky’s accent thickens a little as her eyes soften as she looks up at him. “I’ll even show you everywhere we got our asses kicked when we were young.”

“And by ‘ours’ he means mine after 1934,” Steve says from Bucky’s other side with a scoff, sending Duchess a wink as they get past the Alice in Wonderland bit and start on the path down towards the Model Boathouse.

“Whatever you guys wanna show me,” Duchess sighs out happily, leaning into Bucky and reaching around his back to take Steve’s hand. Steve squeezes back before kissing the back of her hand and releasing it, happy to have her in the pack.

“I’ll grab some stuff, but I’ll stay near - up in Natasha’s apartment a few floors up. Just let me know when it’s safe,” He chuckles out as a flustered look passes over her face. “Don’t worry, kid, it’s natural. Just lots of good luck to our furniture in the house with this Alpha.”

“Is Natasha’s floor far enough away, punk?”

“Well, I love my pack already,” Duchess murmurs as Bucky and Steve continue ribbing each other, watching the stars compete with the New York City lights as a few leaves rustle in the breeze and fall on the bright path ahead of them.

“Doll, as corny as it sounds, it’s amazing how I could try but I could never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing. Just your scent and hearing your heartbeat is a different kind of magic,” Bucky whispers against her hair before kissing her soft cheek, his metal fingers entwined with hers naturally.

“If every bit of magic was stripped from me tonight, I would be okay with it. Because the best magic I’ve ever received is you.”

Bless ya’ll for making it through my long ass rambling stories <3

@stay-frosty-royal-unicorn @chelsea072498 @clockworkmorningglory @sakurablossom4 @galaxiesinmymind @thewhiterabbit42 @nobodys-baby-now @mizzezm

**PICTURE IS NOT MINE - FOUND ON GOOGLE**

**ALL RIGHTS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS**

#bucky barnes x reader #ckcomebacktour #authoressskr writes #bucky x reader #bucky au #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fic #bucky x reader au #marvel fanfiction #marvel au

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save-the-spiral · 3 years

Note

the dsmp wiz school headcanons hand em over

These are all as the CHARACTERS and not the streamers, because it’d be ridiculous for me to indicate that with ‘c!’ in front of every usage of a name, but these are based on the characters and their actions, which are far different from a bunch of irl nerds who roleplay minecraft, kay? I put SOME thought into this but feel free to disagree, because i haven’t watched every single streamer that would be insane. also thanks to the anon who also requested this!!! I said i wasn’t gonna post much more on this blog but! dsmp! dsmp!!!

Techno is myth with storm secondary. THE DRAMA !!! THE SHOWMANSHIP!!! The call backs to ANCIENT GREEK MYTH, HELLO? Some may say he’s death or fire because they’re wrong. The storm too, because uh, hey, summoning large dangerous creatures?? hello? also the accuracy counts because some of his moves could end up doing nothing or ENDING everything. Love this guy.

Tommy is life with fire secondary. He’s Wholesome. But also god bless this kid is annoying and I adore it. He’s so passionate and compassionate and will burn down things for the sake of it!!!

Tubbo is death with storm secondary. He’s chaotic and will Murder.

Phil is death. he’s the angel of death. But also i’d say star as a secondary, because of the star school’s focus on the self, and his usual solo player experience. And some of his in character actions are like. iffy and kinda selfish. bruh.

Ranboo is balance with shadow secondary. Said shadow is primarily because, uh, enderwalking. but BALANCE, hi yes the peacekeeper role he has put upon himself, his attachment to choosing people over sides and trying to avoid conflict?? yeah.

Wilbur is fire with shadow secondary. Passionate, charismatic, but putting everything into one idea, one part of himself, until he is unbalanced and things come back to bite him.

Ghostbur is life, like tommy :(

Eret is balance. this monarch is trying their best to be fair but everyone’s still hanging onto her betrayal because it was the First big betrayal and hurt the most.

Jack is fire with balance secondary!! He crawled his way out of hell! he’s angry and has his own right to be angry! He’s trying to bring balance and peace in his own way, even if yeah it involves a bit of murder.

Puffy is ice. She’s protective and trying her hardest, taking every burden onto herself as a father and as a knight, but things don’t work out that way no matter how much someone cares.

Hannah is life with a sun secondary!! she’s some kind of nymph or dryad and is so nice that she apologizes while stabbing someone in the back and trying to kill them. iconic.

Sam is balance. he’s too fair, following rules before considering people’s lives or well being.

Bad is shadow with a balance secondary, trying in vain to keep everything from getting out of hand, to save people beyond saving including himself.

Antfrost is. listen i guess he’s death? he literally has no character and I love that. go girl give us nothing !!

Punz is death with fire secondary!! mercenary pog!!! yeah i know he’s like evil now but he’s cool. and mostly playing Valorant these days lmao.

Purpled is death with a storm secondary!!! go mercenary boy!!

Ponk is life with balance secondary. He was a doctor, and is still caring for something in his own way, putting it above everything else, even if said thing is a force that demands blood.

Skeppy is shadow with a moon secondary, a trickster with shifting faces and personas, your best friend one moment and throwing everything back in your face the next, even if it’s not truly his fault.

Dream is balance with shadow secondary. talking so much about peace or unity but we ALL know he’s a manipulative bastard !!!

George is sun with myth secondary. sleepy man with weird dreams.

Sapnap is fire with a myth secondary. He’s trying so hard to protect things but he can’t when all he knows is how to fight and kill.

Karl is shadow. his powers, whether his wants them or not, have consequences.

Quackity is storm with fire secondary. imaginative, powerful, excitable and fun. Once he turns on people he becomes a far greater enemy than anyone ever expected, and vengeance is a specialty, but he will do anything necessary to achieve his goals.

Niki is balance with fire secondary, because while arson is pog, revenge took precedent for far too long.

Fundy is moon with myth secondary, a shapeshifting tragedy with prophetic dreams.

Foolish is myth with death secondary, a demigod who once was a Totem of Death and the world seems set on reminding him of that damning fact.

#ask #nightmarelevelfurry #wizard101 #dreamsmp #dsmp #wiz101 #w101 #im. not going to tag every character. no one can make me.

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angelbytz · 3 years

Text

Dream SMP AU pt.1

We’ve all seen the superhero AUs and I wanted to make my own. Miraculous Ladybug crossover but with a twist (kinda, not really). All of the characters act completely different as Miraculous holders. Also, this AU takes place in secondary school because why not. Warning this is very long and had to be split into multiple parts so hear are the first five.

Tommy: If you asked Tommy if did wanted superpowers he would one hundred percent say yes. But it comes at a great cost. Tommy is given the cat miraculous and a costume that has cat ears, eyes and tail and he really contemplated becoming a hero if it means being called a catboy. But after he gets the cat miraculous he feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility and takes his role as a hero very seriously. Tommy is more fight first ask questions later in this AU, the talkative, brash and sometimes childish persona is replaced by an intimidating sharp tongue and a cool, kinda cold demeanor. His alter ego, Maine Coon, is known as the serious, logical and edgy member of the main duo - but is very cute and fluffy, hence the name. He still likes to crack jokes, comes of as cocky at times and often insults Hawkmoth is the middle of battle. Maine Coon is extremely reckless and impatient, not wasting time and gets straight into the fight. No one connects the dots that Tommy is the tough, badass, take-no-shit superhero. Certainly not his partner...

Wilbur: He always felt like a big brother to Tommy and after receiving the bat miraculous he is put in a weird place. Wilbur has always been protective over Tommy but now with his bat miraculous (is instead of the ladybug) he feels protective over everyone. The hero Pipistrelle is an overwhelming positive figure in the city. He always puts his own life at risk for others, sacrifices himself and fights all the bad guys with a cheerful smile and endless hope. Making sure that all citizens feel safe, calm and protected. He sometimes acts innocent and immature as ploy to get people to underestimate him and see him as a happy-go-lucky moron in instead of a competent but upbeat hero. Pipistrelle is a great symbol of hope and rivals Maine Coon in a way that makes a great team. While Maine Coon is very impulsive, Pipistrelle always analyses the situation and figures out how to beat the villain. Maine Coon is the brawn and Pipistrelle is the brains. He interacts a lot with the public and coaches the new heroes like...

Tubbo: A massive fan of the superhero duo that is given the chance to be a hero. A lot of different things - fear of identity being revealed, the responsibility, wanted to impress the heroes, being under the public eye and most of all not wanting to be akumatised - made Tubbo adopt a strange identity. He became the hero that no one would try to mess with and never showed weakness. Basically, Tubbo took the logical part of his personality and turned it up to eleven. Bumblebee is an extremely intelligent, brave and most of all emotionless hero. He never shows any emotion or vulnerability and is well known for playing psychological games with the villains. If a villain sees this 5′5 boy dressed in a cute little bee outfit they are, and should be, terrified. Some people see him as sadistic or apathetic or ruthless but no one ever knows what he is thinking, not even the other heroes. But for some weird reason he has a great bond - or at least everyone thinks he has - with the next hero...

Ranboo: He wouldn’t consider himself the bravest person. That’s why when offered the wolf miraculous (replacing the tiger) Ranboo panicked. How was he supposed to save people? But then a villain attacked and a little boy (guess who) was about to be hurt and well... Ranboo kinda went apeshit. He immediately transformed saved the boy and with his wolf powers violently beat the shit out of the villain. What Ranboo didn’t except was everyone viewing the new hero, dubbed Tundra Wolf, as aggressive, assertive and protective. So Ranboo kinda just rolled with it, playing a confident, bellicose tough guy. Being Tundra actually helps with his anxiety as a civilian and helps him build a backbone. His persona was a complete accident unlike...

Techno: Lets face it, he knew he could never be a superhero. Techno is way to recognisible because of his hair, fighting experience and demeanor. Thankfully, in costume his hair has blonde highlights but his combat skills and demeanor are still too noticeable. So what did Techno do? He decided that he cannot act like himself whatsoever. He has to talk like someone else. He has to act like someone else. He has to fight like someone else. He has to be the opposite of himself. And who is the opposite of Techno? Quackity. Technos ingenious idea is to act like Quackity. Techno is very unsure how the two became best friends but all he knows is that if he acts like Quackity his identity would be safe. The pig hero Ba Xuyen is definitely the most chaotic out of all the heroes. A hilarious, childish and a little bit sketchy comic relief hero. But Techno still has his own moments and every time he is one-on-one with a villain he either threatens them in a cryptic way or has a dramatic, sinister, improvised speech with very menacing undertones. Over time, the persona changes into one Techno is more comfortable with and feels somewhat natural and he even ends up liking his own hero persona. No one would ever compare Ba Xuyen to Techno despite the fact they look identical because the idea is just ricidulous. But Techno dreads the day his identity is revealed. He can’t even imagine what would happen or how people would reaction like...

Philza: In this AU he can either be an actual father or just an older parental figure who’s in college or something, do want you want. Phil is basically a paternal figure to a bunch of kids and is offered the crow (in place of the snake) miraculous with the power of second chance. After his kwami subtly calls him old, Phil begins to train to be a superhero and not be called old. Phil’s first outings as a hero were him playing through time, rewinding and changing little things all while completely hidden and never being seen. The heroes are oblivious and call it dumb luck. But then Phil is forced to reveal himself and fight along side the heroes and immediately all the heroes look up to him. The new hero Rook is a badass and authoritative figure despite being a man of few words. All the heroes treat him kinda like The Godfather: standing up straighter, completely silent whenever he is talking, never asking him about his private life, never questioning his orders, referring to him as sir. But they never call him old. No one is brave enough. If the media ever called him old there would be hell to pay and a lot of heroes unhappy they dare to disrespect their parental figure. Surprisingly, Rook never tried to be intimidating or commanding and often tries to be affectionate with the heroes. A few compliments, a kind smile, a pat on the back, laughing at their jokes, voicing concern after harsh fights and letting them call him ‘The Crow Father’. All the heroes see these moments as absolute blessings and brag about how they are the favorite. Even outside of the heroes, Rook is a father to the city like Pipistrelle is a big brother. In civilian form, everyone adores the hero and Tommy refers to Rook as God himself and Phil has to stop himself from either going red or laughing.

Next post will feature:

Fundy

Niki

Quackity

Karl

Sapnap

Bbh & Skeppy

#dream smp #dsmp au #miraculous au #dsmp superhero au #dsmp miraculous #tommyinnit #wilbur soot #tubbo #ranboo #technoblade #philza

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demifiendrsa · 4 years

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Microsoft has announced that it has acquired ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion.

Bethesda Softworks is the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane Studios, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Studios, and owns major franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield, and more.

Comments from each party:

Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox

Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks.

As one of the largest, most critically acclaimed, privately held game developers and publishers in the world, Bethesda is an incredibly talented group of 2,300 people worldwide who make up some of the most accomplished creative studios in our industry across Bethesda Softworks, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios. These are the teams responsible for franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield, and many more.

Bethesda’s games have always had a special place on Xbox and in the hearts of millions of gamers around the world. Our teams have a close and storied history working together, from the amazing first DOOM, and its id Tech engine, innovating games on PCs to Bethesda bringing their first console game to the original Xbox, the groundbreaking The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Over the years I’ve had many deep conversations with the creative leaders at Bethesda on the future of gaming and we’ve long shared similar visions for the opportunities for creators and their games to reach more players in more ways.

Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games. We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. One of the things that has me most excited is seeing the roadmap with Bethesda’s future games, some announced and many unannounced, to Xbox console and PC including Starfield, the highly anticipated, new space epic currently in development by Bethesda Game Studios.

Like us, Bethesda are passionate believers in building a diverse array of creative experiences, in exploring new game franchises, and in telling stories in bold ways. All of their great work will of course continue and grow and we look forward to empowering them with the resources and support of Microsoft to scale their creative visions to more players in new ways for you.

All of our work, and the foundation of our relationship with you, starts with a commitment to deliver a breadth of amazing games to discover and play on Xbox. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been excited to share more detail on important elements of a plan we’ve been building towards for years. A plan that is the fulfilment of a promise, to you the Xbox player, to deliver the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation gaming experiences, and the freedom to play blockbuster games with your friends, anytime, anywhere. Today is a landmark step in our journey together and I’m incredibly energized by what this step means for Xbox.

Please join me in welcoming all of our friends at Bethesda to Team Xbox.

Pete Hines, Bethesda Softworks

Today we announced we’re joining the Microsoft family.

And if you haven’t had a chance to read what Phil Spencer and Todd Howard shared in their posts this morning, be sure to check them both out. When you work at a place as long as I’ve worked at Bethesda—just a month short of 21 years—you see some things. Chief amongst them is change. When I started, Bethesda was not much more than a handful of people. The team working on Morrowind fit in a couple of offices, and there were probably six or seven of us spread across everything else.

Bethesda Softworks, our parent company ZeniMax Media, and our many internal studios, now employ thousands of talented people working in publishing offices and development studios around the world. We’ve gone from one internal studio to many; from a focus on single-player fantasy RPGS to developing massive MMOs, first person shooters, and everything in between. The world, our industry, and our company has changed a lot in the 34 years since Bethesda Softworks was first founded. Today, it changed again. And I know that brings up questions.

But the key point is we’re still Bethesda. We’re still working on the same games we were yesterday, made by the same studios we’ve worked with for years, and those games will be published by us.

So why the change? Because it allows us to make even better games going forward. Microsoft is an incredible partner and offers access to resources that will make us a better publisher and developer. We believe that means better games for you to play. Simply put—we believe that change is an important part of getting better. We believe in pushing ourselves to be better. To innovate. To grow.

And, we have a long history of working with Microsoft. Our companies share many of the same basic principles. We believe in a culture that values passion, quality, collaboration, and innovation. When I think back to the first time we decided to shift from being a PC-only developer and make Morrowind for the original Xbox, it was a move that countless people said would never work…nobody on consoles wanted a game that big and complex. But Microsoft believed in us and so did you. And now RPGs of all shapes and sizes are hugely successful on consoles.

Yes, it’s a big change for us, but after taking a minute to absorb the magnitude of this acquisition, we’re going to continue doing what we know and love: making great games. We’re going to keep trying new things. We’re going to take the same passion we’ve poured into what we do, and the passion that our community brings to the things we make, and do even better.

And soon the conversation will move on from this deal to talking about our games again. And I can get back to answering the questions that get us all excited. Tell me more about Deathloop. When can I see more Ghostwire? What’s coming in Q4 for The Elder Scrolls Online? I want to see more of the DOOM Eternal DLC. WHEN THE HELL WILL YOU TELL ME ABOUT STARFIELD? I’m excited for those conversations and look forward to talking to you about all of that—and much, much more—-in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

I believe in the people I work with. I believe in the company we have created together. I believe in the communities that have formed around the games we make. And I believe today’s announcement is just the next in a long line of changes in our history that will lead to bigger and better games for all of us.

Pete Hines SVP, Global Marketing and Communications

Todd Howard, Bethesda Softworks

I have been incredibly blessed to spend my entire career at, and help build, one of the best places to make games in the world—Bethesda.

And I’ve had the joy of doing it with some of the most talented, humble, and passionate people there are. They are part of my family, and my good friends. I have also had the pleasure of working with, and partnering with, many of the best gaming and tech companies in the world. But our longest, and closest partner during my career, has been Microsoft.

Today we join them, and I wanted to share some personal thoughts on what it means and our shared vision.

The trajectory of Xbox, and the trajectory of Bethesda, in many ways have gone hand in hand.

From our beginning, we had primarily been a PC developer. In 1999, two things happened. One, Bethesda became part of a brand-new startup—ZeniMax Media. And Microsoft started development of their first video game console—the Xbox. I can remember my first trip to Redmond to discuss the new system and bringing our next game, Morrowind, to the Xbox.

I was dubious Xbox Morrowind would be worth the time, somewhat on a technical level, but more so from taking a hardcore RPG and moving it from a PC desktop experience to a controller-and-sofa experience. If we made it work, would people want it?

Microsoft and their new Xbox crew had a view, that I came to share completely. Shouldn’t we allow anyone to have this experience? Why does it matter where the screen is or what the controller is? There are many people without the same access, and we can bring it to them.

Morrowind would go on to become one of the best-selling Xbox games of all time, behind Halo, another PC style game some said wouldn’t work. Its success paved the way for the growth of our company, and proved the point – people wanted this experience, regardless of device.

Microsoft quickly let us in on their next system, the Xbox 360. More than a PC port, our aim with our next game, Oblivion, was to usher in the next generation of gaming. With each game, from Fallout 3 to Skyrim, our studio and company grew, adding brilliant and like-minded studios across the globe. All of us sharing in the belief that expanding the reach of gaming was fundamental, whether it was on a pc, console, your phone, or the cloud.

With each new console cycle, we evolved together. From bringing mods to consoles with Fallout 4, now over a billion downloads, to the latest technologies fueling Xbox Series X/S. These new systems are optimized for the vast worlds we love to create, with generational leaps not just in graphics, but CPU and data streaming as well. It’s led to our largest engine overhaul since Oblivion, with all new technologies powering our first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, as well as The Elder Scrolls VI.

Like our original partnership, this one is about more than one system or one screen. We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower, and bring joy. And a belief we should bring that to everyone—regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you play on. Regardless of the screen size, the controller, or your ability to even use one.

We can’t think of a better group of people to do that with than those at Xbox. We have friendships that go back to those original days. From Phil to his senior leaders to developer support, they don’t just talk about putting players first, they passionately live it.

At Bethesda, we’ve been lucky enough to create games we love, and have an audience who loves them as much as we do. I have personally been humbled by the many industry honors I have received, as they belong to the entire studio. But one has always stood out to me for a special reason. When I received the Lifetime Achievement Award at GDC, I joked in my acceptance “I wonder how many achievement points this one is worth?” At the end of the ceremony, some good friends from Microsoft congratulated me and said they’d find out. A few months later I was given a code to a game they had created, named after me and locked to my account. When ran, it unlocks a single achievement – “Lifetime – 1000pts.” It still sits in my list when I check, and I smile every time.

It has been a lifetime. But there’s more to come and achievements to unlock together. We hope you join us.

All the best, Todd

Todd Howard Bethesda Game Studios

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buckthegrump · 4 years

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I’ve Been Trying Hard Not To Talk To You - 3

Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Y/n hates Bucky Barnes. Absolutely loathes him what makes it worse is that she has to share her office with him. Now with a promotion on the horizon she has to find a way to work with him and not against him.

Warnings: Angst (kind of), it’s an enemies to loves, there’s not fluff in this part

Word Count: 1480

A/n: i love a good car ride scene

Y/n didn’t know how to make it any more clear that she did not want to go on this company team building beach trip. Jill smiled at her earning herself a glare. They were all gathered int the parking lot at 8:30 in the morning because this was a weekend-long thing. Y/n loved both Maria and Phil, but part of her wondered how hard it would be to find another job at a different company that didn’t do weekend-long team-building things.

Everyone was trying to figure out who was driving and who was going in which car. Typically, Y/n would offer to drive, but Carol’s stupid car was taking much longer than it should. Why did she have to be such a good aunt? This would be so much easier if Carol didn’t have Monica to hold over Y/n’s head.

“Hey, boss,” Peter beamed. “You excited for the trip?”

She was forcing herself to be at least civil to him, but goddamn did he have so much fucking energy for this early in the morning.

“You could say that,” she answered. He held out a Starbucks cup. “I can’t drink coffee.”

“It’s a chai latte,” he says. “You don’t drink coffee because of anxiety, right?”

She held back tears (she had the tendency to be a bit dramatic in the mornings). “Peter, someday you are going to make someone very happy.”

He blushed and looked at the ground but didn’t walk away.

“Bucky, can you take Y/n and Peter?” Maria’s voice cut through the fog in Y/n’s brain. “They’re the only ones that still need a ride.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” Y/n whispered to herself.

“Sure,” Bucky shrugged as if he didn’t hate her. As if they didn’t spend up to eight hours a day getting on each other’s nerves.

Y/n opened her mouth to protest, but then everyone started putting their bags in trunks. She barely registered when Peter offered to take her bag to Bucky’s car. She told him that she could take her own luggage, but Bucky swooped in and grabbed the handles before she could.

“Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Y/n couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not as Bucky led them to the car.

Ten minutes later, they were on the road.

Peter had oh so graciously, let Y/n have shot-gun while he was seated in the back. Bucky, who drove a stick (because of course, he did) set up the music.

Bucky Barnes, who was already devastatingly handsome (in an unfortunate sort of way that made her want to fling herself off a cliff), didn’t need to be any hotter. And that’s where Y/n’s problem was. She had always thought that a man driving was unreasonably hot, especially if they were mostly calm as they drove.

With any luck, Bucky would have major road rage, and she could switch with someone for the drive home.

The beach was about an hour’s drive. Y/n wondered how hard it would be to fall asleep, but she didn’t know if she could trust Bucky not to find a way to draw on her face or something. Maybe she should have let Peter sit in the front.

Ten minutes into the drive, Bucky dug out his phone from his pocket and handed it to Y/n.

“Can you -” he started.

Without thinking about it, she took it. “Sure. Why is Stark Industries calling you?”

“Ignore it,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

“Ya know, if you roll your eyes too much, they’ll get stuck in the back of your head. And that would end up being very boring for you because there’s nothing back there.” Y/n rejected the call. A few seconds later, it started buzzing again. Only this time, the contact read Tony Stark. “Barnes, wh-wh-wh-”

“Is your brain not connected to your mouth right now? What’s going on?” Bucky chuckled.

“Why is the Tony Stark calling you? Why do you have Tony Stark’s number saved in your phone?”

“You know Tony Stark?” Peter spoke in awe.

Bucky ignored all their questions. “Will you answer it and tell him that I’m driving and can’t really talk right now?”

Y/n barked out a laugh. “I’m not answering the phone for the biggest tech genius in America. Do it yourself if you’re such good friends with him.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, again, not heeding Y/n’s warning. He grabbed the phone and answered. “Tony, I can’t really talk right now. . . Because I’m driving. . . I did. Monday morning. . . Bruce said it was fine -”

“Bruce Banner?” Peter asked in a hushed whisper.

“Tony. . . I told you I was busy this weekend. . . Yes, I can come to dinner on Thursday. . . I don’t know why you ask the answer is always no.”

Y/n strained her ears, trying to hear the second half of the conversation. Now she wished she had answered the phone.

Bucky lowered his voice a little. “No, I’m not going to do that. That’s one of the dumbest ideas you’ve ever had. I will see you Thursday.”

Bucky hung up the phone and put it in the cupholder between him and Y/n. The silence lasted all of three seconds before Peter started up again.

“So how well do you know Mr. Stark?” He asked.

“Considering that he just agreed to go to dinner with him on Thursday,” Y/n piped up, “I’d say they were in love.”

“That’s not what -” Bucky sighed. “I know him pretty well, kid. Why?”

“I applied for his internship, but I never got a call back.”

Y/n turned around in her seat and looked at him. “Peter, do you not like working here?” She shot Bucky a quick glare.

“No, it’s not that. I just - I’m more of a science person, and I just took whatever job I could get. This one paid the best, but I was really hoping that I would be able to work in the field that I actually want to go in.”

Y/n turned back around. “Told ya, you should be nicer,” she grumbled.

Bucky didn’t justify that with a response. The rest of the ride happened in silence, but Y/n really wanted to know what had happened Monday morning. Clearly, Bucky had some kind of appointment, which explained why he was so calm when he’d walked in late. She should leave it alone. He was allowed to have his secrets just as she was allowed to have hers.

* * *

Y/n had scolded herself about thirty times in the past twenty minutes. She couldn’t stop watching Bucky drive, because yes, he was very calm as he drove. It was really attractive, and his right hand would rest on the gear shift, and -

Get it together, Y/n. She scolded herself again. If she wouldn’t get car sick, she’d pull out one of the books she’d brought along for the weekend. She was trying to fall into one of her extensive daydreams when an all too familiar tune came out from the car speakers.

Saw your body language, and I know how you feeling. You look like the kind of girl who’s tired of speaking.

She bit back the laugh that was begging to be released. Glancing at the radio, she doubled checked that this was, in fact, his playlist and not the actual radio. She was struggling with whether she should say something or let it slide. Letting it slide was winning because she didn’t want to get kicked out of the car, but god bless Peter Parker.

“You like One Direction?” He asked a little too gleefully.

Y/n waited for Bucky to quickly change the song and grumble about it being on there because of his sister or an ex-girlfriend. But he didn’t.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of their songs,” he said simply.

Bucky said it so casually as if that wasn’t a surefire way to set her off. He needed to do something dickish so she could go right back to hating him. Hating him was as easy as breathing. It came naturally. This entire car ride was confusing the fuck out of her, and she didn’t particularly like it.

“Really?” Peter, who was sounding more and more like an excited puppy, asked.

“Yeah, my sister made me listen to them once, and I guess I just didn’t stop.”

Y/n bit the inside of her cheek.

“What?” Bucky asked. It took her a second for her to realize he was talking to her. “Are you gonna sit there and pretend that you don’t like them?”

“No, I just didn’t think that you would admit to liking one direction is all.”

“Well, sunflower, I guess there are still a few things you don’t know about me.”

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x f!reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes AU

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nhi-theuserof-this · 4 years

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TW/CW: Depictions of blood, gore, broken body parts, corpses, explosions, swearing, unnatural body movements (some are very graphically said)

This is a graphic edition of my most recent oneshot, the link provided leads to the censored/vague edition

Link here

https://nhi-theuserof-this.tumblr.com/post/638464385946451968/i-read-this-one-ao3-fanfiction-and-now-i-want-to

—

The festival was the first.. ...known.. occasion of that thing.

Nobody wanted to think that Technoblade and the thing were the same, if they were in fact the same being, well, nobody wanted to think about that.

It was in the middle of Schlatt screaming at Technoblade that it appeared. Technoblade was gripping his head tightly and shaking it at nothing in particular. “Are you even listening?” Schlatt had shouted at him. It snapped an invisible string as Technoblade whimpered and stood still, eyes fluttering closed as he passed out while standing, but it wasn’t like anyone could tell as he was outright shaking at the moment.

The crowd went silent and so did everyone on the stage. Techno That thing, it opened Technoblades eyes to show they had turned fully blue, a light blue that could pass as white in the right lighting. It jerked Technoblade into an upright position as his body swayed. It was as if a doll was being pulled into multiple directions at once, before settling on taking a step towards Tubbo.

Jschlatt had thought Technoblade had given in and shouted encouragement as he never noticed Technoblades empty blue eyes. It jerked Technoblades hands onto the crossbow at his side taking it up in both its hands, fumbling to put a rocket inside. Technoblades mouth fell open as hundereds-thousands of whispers fell out of at a million miles a minute, a loud one, that spoke above the volumes of all the other voices, “We’re sorry Tubbo” It said, voice similar to the sound that came from nails scratching at a chalkboard. “Let’s make this as colorful and painless as possible.”

It pointed the crossbow currently named ‘Subscribe to Technoblade’ in between Tubbo’s eyes, finger hovering over the trigger as Technoblades mouth was pressed into a grin as the rocket released, enchantments morphing the rocket into three that of which went into seperate directions, exploding into many colors as Technoblade was moved to reload and shoot once again, this time resulting in the death of everyone on the stage aside from himself.

All three of the people that had died left behind rapidly decaying corpses that implicated so.

His body was turned around with stiff, jerky movements, face being in an emotionless grin as the weapon in his hands had more ammunition available for use. Jshlatt had died twice, somehow, and almost every participant of the festival had died as well that day.

He was back to normal at some point after he got back to Pogtopia. Sitting still as a stone beside his potato farm, staring at his reflection as if it wasn’t his own. He quietly mumbled apologies to no one in sight and was rapidly switching from topic to topic, quietly explaining things to himself while telling an invisible something to shut up.

Tommy had angrily stomped up to Technoblade when he got back. Shouting ar him about killing Tubbo, betraying him, practically disowning him at one point, something else. It became distorted and turned to white noise quickly as Wilbur dragged the two towards a pit he made, encouragingly pushing the two towards the enterance while babbling on about beating eachother.

Somewhere in between those events, Technoblade lost control of his movements, but still consious and aware of what was happening. Technoblade was hollow in that very moment, so very hollow he didn’t realize the voices forced their way out of his mouth as Tommy live there bloody on the ground.

“Violence is the only universal language.” The voices had screamed through Technoblade, so scratchy and disgusting sounding that Tommy didn’t know if Techno actually said that as what he said after was suddenly back in his own monotone as ever voice.

Tommy had learnt not to shout at Technoblade for hours on end after what happened.

The server learned to be wary of Technoblade at all times if they weren’t already.

Sometimes Technoblade could spend a week without a single one of the voices speaking, other times though.. ...it was a blessing just to be able to go about his day without hurting himself whether on purpose or not.

The voices were very loud today. The second Technoblade could register noise his mind was flooded with screams and shouts of ‘late’ and ‘anarchy’ along with the other regular things but this time ther were hundereds of other extra voices shouting along, screaming for him to do violent things, to draw blood and kill something. Unluckily for Technoblade, the cow pit only needed breeding right now.

Technoblade left his base with fresh bandages wrapped around his body. He’ll need to get new bandages for the next time this happens.

It was through the voices screaming at him to run, that he learned that everyone had them, Technoblade didn’t know he was about to be attacked until the voices sceamed as an arrow made its way into his leg in between the gaps in his armor. It was just that he was the only one that could actually hear them. The next time the voices said something he didn’t know about was as Wilbur stepped down from the podium. Technoblade had seen no evidence of Phil even being invited to the server, but the voices screamed about him in the minutes that led up to his joining the server notification appeared in chat.

Everyone spoke over Technoblade as he attempted to make his first speach. Technoblade honestly expected this, but chat was pissed they’d never hear it, it had taken his body momentarily and created the base of the two withers. Technoblade turned back to continue speaking after being let go, but most of the people that could see him flinched, chat left his eyes tinted blue, an after affect that stuck around if Technoblade was only partially taken over for a short time.

The events of that day had left some people thoroughly traumatized, the reason? It was surprisingly not because of Technoblade alone. Technoblade never took note of that though, opting to hang out with Phil for a while, letting the man crash at his base until he could get himself set up.

He was teetering between telling Phil about the voices, confessing and explaining why he’s become so violent so suddenly at times, or keeping it to himself for the time being. He chose the later. It unfortunately didn’t stop Phil from seeing the tinted red bandages, even though he could’ve swore technoblade had just changed them.

“Are you okay Techno?”

And the voices grew soft. They pushed Techno to say yes and dismiss Phil, though that was only some of them, others told him to be honest. And that’s what he did.

Techno had broken down, he cried and cried, he confessed to Phil that he had never gotten this bad nearly as often before, that he had hurt himself enough to cause an emergency stash be put in place. Phil remembers how small and fragile Techno was when he first found him, but nothing could compare to what Technoblade was like right now, curling in on himself, cursing his own existence as if he were worth less than the dirt in the ground, crying in shame at how he is able to mercilessly cut down so many people without pause.

Phil gained a better understanding of why Technoblade was more comfortable in a friendly relationship rather than a family type of relationship that evening, as he held his shaking friend in his arms.

The butchers had invaded Philzas home in search of Technoblade. This was something he had learnt through both the voices and the butchers. The voices liked when he cracked jokes so Technoblade rated his kidnapping a two, it made the voices laugh, nobody else did, only the voices.

Technoblade was scared they’d hurt something or someone close to him like Phil, so he shut up and played along after Carl got held hostage, hoping he’d get a chance to free himself and take Carl home.

He was now in a cage, supposedly about to have a trial, but it was likely to be rigged. The voices suddenly started screaming, causing Technoblade to flinch in a visible manner. Nobody knew what he flinched at besides himself, but that didn’t matter right now as someone tried busting him out. Technoblade didn’t know who, he was busy taking a totem of undying into his hands, shakily hoping it wouldn’t come to that, but he learnt that the voices were commonly right.

The voices proved true once again. Quackity was pissed at what was happening, so much in fact, he disregarded the entire trial as he yanked the lever activating the mechanism that’d drop an anvil onto him in order to crush his skull.

As Technoblade took in a sharp breath as the anvil came in contact with his body, he was suddenly crushed, sickeningly loud crack sounding out as everyone turned to look at him. The totem slipped out of his hand when he was crushed sliding off the small stage with a clank, before it exploded into a burst of green and white particles, making him phase through the anvil as he shakily stood while the crushed bone slowly reformed, muscle and skin following. Most people looked away as others cringed at the disgusting noises.

When heit looked up, everyone started shouting. That thing wasn’t supposed to come out, Technoblade wasn’t even supposed to survive the initial anvil drop.

Technoblades body ran, and so did everyone else, wether the same direction or not.

“You’re on the fucking hitlist Technoblade!” Quackity screamed in rage.

The thing turned around, mouth falling open as hundreds of different voices came out at once. Quackity stepped back, the voices too much to register, him barely picking some of them up.

‘QUACKITY WHAT’ ‘BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD’ ‘CARL’ ‘Lead in pile!’ ‘Kill!!’

The voices suddenly went dull as Technoblades body went slack, before getting into a fighting stance unusual for him. ‘It’s u s Qua.kity, ch-At.’

Quackity raised his axe before Technoblades body launched forwards before raising Technoblades pickaxe. ‘We have a pickaxe,’ it grinned, ‘and we’ll put it through your teeth.’

Quackity hadn’t realized how horrible the thing was until now, until the body of Technoblade loomed above him, scratch that- the body of chat, that hovered over him with a manic grin, bringing the pickaxe down into his jaw, yanking harshly as Quackity let out a blood curtling scream as char pulled it out and brought it down into his skull, killing him with a final blow.

Quackity was slain by Technoblade

#chat possession au #mcyt #dream smp #mcyt fanart #mcytau #tommyinnit #Wilbur soot #Wilbur mcyt #mcyt fanfiction #mcyt fic #mcyt fandom #quackity #tw violence #nhiwrotehere

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ienjoywallpaper · 3 years

Text

More OC Parent Lore

I wrote more about my SDV Farmer OC's parents last month. A little story about how Phil proposed to Millie. Don't worry, this one's shorter. Enjoy, or don't... But I hope you do :)

Beach

By: ienjoywallpaper Word Count: 1,367

Fall 27, many years ago...

Phil shifted nervously in his seat. Old Chuck was generally a jolly sort, and today was no different... It was Phil that was the problem. His stomach twisted, the words he wanted to say not quite reaching his mouth in an uncharacteristic bout of anxiety. He was never so sure of something in his life, why was it so hard to say it out loud?

"Well, my boy, I have a feeling I know the purpose of your visit today..." Chuck folded his hands over his stomach and settled into his old wingback. "But I'm no mind reader, so spit it out." A bead of sweat formed on Phil's temple. He resisted the urge to wipe it away.

"Yes, sir... Well, I have a… a gift I had planned on giving Millie this year for Winter Star and… well, I came to get your o-opinion, er… permission really…" Chuck pursed his lips, his face half-disappearing behind his abundant facial hair.

"Millie's her own woman, I don't see why you'd be needing my opinion on a Winter Star gift for her, Phillip. Or my permission for that matter… seems to me Millie's the one you should be askin'." Phil took a moment to gather his courage.

"Chuck, sir… I want to ask Millie to marry me, at Winter Star. I would certainly like to have your blessing before I do so. I already have a ring and…" Chuck waved his hand, cutting Phil off.

"Now, boy, I greatly appreciate you seeking my blessing. Means a lot to an old man like me. But if you're fixin' to ask Millie for her hand, we have a different issue. You know we have certain ways here in the valley, and I can't in good conscience allow you to ask my daughter to marry you without a pendant." Phil blinked.

"Um… a pendant, sir?"

"Yes, boy. The mermaid pendant. The symbol of love and marriage for the valley for untold generations. A beautiful story, you should look into it sometime. But since you're not from around here, I'll give you the short of it. In order to declare your intentions to my Millie, you have to procure for yourself a mermaid pendant." He barked out a humorless laugh. "That means you have to make it to the tide pools when it's raining. Winter's just around the corner, boy. It don't rain in the winter… you willing to wait until spring to ask her properly?" Chuck leaned forward, surveying Phil's response. Phil frowned, determination coloring his cheeks.

"Mr. Lowell, I'll do whatever it takes to marry your daughter. If that means I have to stand on the beach for days waiting for a storm to roll in, or some other ritual the people here blindly accept, I'll do it. I love her. But, so help me, if this is a 'haze the new member' scheme…" Chuck laughed in earnest this time.

"Phil, you're a good man. I give you my whole hearted blessing. But, I still want you to get Millie that pendant before I'll give you permission." He scratched his chin through his beard. "Tell you what. Go stay with Willy tonight." Chuck's eyes twinkled at Phil. "I have a feeling there's a storm brewing."

****

Phil woke up early to the sound of heavy rain on the cabin's tin roof. Odd, otherworldly croaking echoed in the distance. Phil could only attribute the sound to the local frog population, but he didn't have time to dwell on it today. It would have been nice if Chuck had told me what exactly I'm looking for. He thought grumpily as he pulled on his shoes. Is it a coral of some kind? A gem? Maybe some sea glass? He quietly tiptoed past Willy's sleeping form, grabbing a raincoat from a peg on the wall as he passed. I hope he doesn't mind if I borrow this. Hopefully I'll be back before he needs it. Phil ducked out of the cabin and rushed off in the direction of the tide pools.

The beach was transformed in the rain. The sand lost its luster and the swirling grey water crashed haphazardly against the shore. Heavy clouds and rain created a definitive line between sea and sky that on any other day wouldn't exist. Phil observed his surroundings briefly, half-wishing he could paint it. He felt the scene would make an excellent, if somber, watercolor landscape. He pushed the thought aside. His artistic pursuits could wait - the rest of his life could not. He trudged through the thickened sand. An old footbridge, probably older than Old Chuck, swung across the river as it emptied into the ocean. He stepped onto it, half-expecting the rickety, weathered planks to give out under his weight. They held, and he continued with confidence onto the small bank where the tidal pools formed. Phil made his way to one of the pools and peered in. Usually, they would be teeming with life. Today, the inhabitants were likely hiding in the coral, avoiding the assault from rain. He watched as the drops warped his reflection, like looking at himself through a leaded glass window.

"What you're looking for won't be found in the pools, lad." A gruff voice called out over the rain, startling Phil. He quickly turned around to see a bearded man with a worn, brown bucket hat and a faded blue jacket. Phil and the man stared at each other for only seconds, but Phil somehow understood that he should approach the man - despite the more rational part of his brain telling to do the exact opposite. As he drew closer, the man smiled. "I can see it in your eyes… there be someone special in your heart. I have what you be searching for - A Mermaid's Pendant." Phil started on the words "Mermaid's Pendant". He stepped yet closer and the man held out a delicate, opalescent shell on what appeared to be a thin, navy silk ribbon. Phil picked up the pendant and admired it. It was beautiful, and he felt he could almost see Millie's luminous smile and warm, playful eyes in the different facets and curves of the shell. In an odd way, he expected he would hear Millie's laugh instead of the ocean if he were to hold it to his ear. In an instant, he seemed to understand why this tradition existed. He was so transfixed; he almost didn't hear the man say:

"5,000 gold." Phil blinked.

"What?"

"There be two prices. To be worthy of heart, and of pocket. You be worthy of heart, lad, but there is still another price to pay." Phil's heart fell. Chuck had also failed to mention there would be money exchanged. Phil looked longingly at the pendant. Now that he'd seen what Chuck was talking about, he wanted this more than he expected. But he didn't have 5,000 gold. He went to hand it back to the man when another voice sounded behind him.

"Mariner." The man - "Mariner" - touched the brim of his hat.

"Lowell." Phil spun around and found himself face-to-face with Chuck.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Lowell… I was just…" Chuck smirked.

"Mariner, is the boy worthy?" Chuck kept a steady gaze on Phil. The Mariner hummed.

"He be worthy." Chuck half-smiled and tossed a bag toward the Mariner.

"Here's your gold. Let the man take what he's earned." Phil furrowed his brow and looked back at the Mariner. The Mariner nodded his head.

"Don't be shy now, Lad. Show that amulet to the one you intend to marry, and enjoy a lifetime of love." Phil blinked, intending to thank the man, but then he was gone. He was stunned. He looked in his hand to make sure he hadn't dreamed the whole thing. The pendant still lay there - was still as eerily beautiful as before. He looked back at Chuck, confused.

"Son, welcome to the family. It is my honor to accept you into it." He patted Phil's shoulder and drew him into a friendly hug.

There were several things Phil wanted to ask Chuck about the exchange, but he decided they could wait. He had a proposal to plan.

#sdv ocs #mermaid pendant #SDV beach #Phil and Millie #SDV Grandpa #yet more old work in hopes it will inspire something new #fanfic #sdv fanfic #more november writing dump

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tangyblock · 4 years

Text

SMSBI AU Masterpost!

Ok so masterpost time! This is mostly a rundown of the happenings in the AU, what role each character plays/their rundown. As an important note, if a CC at any time makes it known that they are uncomfortable with anything I do or include in this AU, it will be removed! There will be no smooth narrative exit, I’ll edit so it would have never happened.

This is set in New York City, during the modern day!

Tommy Robin (15 y/o):

He’s a sophomore in high school (Year 11 for the Europeans)

He got his spider powers at the end-of-year field trip in 7th grade to a science center! He was bitten by a radioactive spider, thus giving him his abilities.

He spends his 8th grade year making sure he has a handle on his powers (I mean, come on, he’s read comics. Now that he has these powers, surely he has to go out into the city and become a vigilante!) and making his spidersuit with his best friend, Tubbo!

He has the following abilities: super strength, spidey sense, increased regeneration, able to stick to walls/ceilings, and his own ~~unique~~ ability to teleport within a short range (anywhere within a 15 foot radius)

He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and is not the best liar.

Wilbur Robin (16 y/o):

He’s a junior in high school (Year 12 for the Europeans)

He has a twin brother: Techno Robin! Wilbur was born second rip

He loves music so much, oh my god-- he has his own guitar and spends most of his time writing original songs and busking on the streets of NYC.

Help this kid, he’s so sleep deprived, he spends way too much time trying to become a well-known musician. He’s really good, too! He’s just not getting recognized for his talents.

Wilbur (nicknamed Wil) is so oblivious to situations, god bless him man

Techno Robin (16 y/o):

He’s a junior in high school (Year 12 for the Europeans)

He has a twin brother: Wilbur Robin! Techno was born first tho lol

He works at a Barnes and Noble, and is on the high school’s Academic Decathlon team! He’s very smart, he knows his shit. You can’t fool him.

Probably has a caffeine addiction, let’s be real. Who is a gifted kid and doesn’t have some sort of caffeine addiction?

Unlike Wilbur, he’s not oblivious At All. He’s lowkey suspicious of Tommy: is he Spider-Man? He has a list in his head, but come on. There are so many people in New York, it can’t possibly be his little brother!

...right?

Phil Robin (36 y/o):

He works as tech support (like answering calls and helping customers) at Huxley Industries, which specializes in scientific/medical tech, as well as household gadgets.

Since he is raising three boys on his own, he has another part-time job at a convenience store.

I won’t go into too much detail, but the bio mom of the three kids divorced and they agreed for her to have no part in their lives.

ANYWAYS changing tone! He’s a very caring dad to his 3.5 kids (the half kid being Tubbo because he’s always with Tommy so he becomes a pseudo kid overnight)

All I can say is Big Dad Energy(TM)

He doesn’t want his kids to worry or overwork themselves. He just wants them to be safe and be successful in whatever career they pursue. No matter what, he’s supporting them.

Tubbo Cooper (15 y/o):

Tommy’s absolute best friend, he’s ride or die, man.

A sophomore in high school (Year 11 for Europeans!)

Helped Tommy make his spider suit! He’s really talented with mechanical engineering!

He lives ten minutes away from Tommy, often visiting him and vice versa.

He learned basic first aide! After every patrol, he meets Tommy in an alleyway and helps cleanup any injuries that would raise concern to his family. Though, he did promise that if a fight ever got out of hand, he would call and tell Phil.

He’s the man in the chair! Think Ned from the MCU and Ganke from Miles Morales’s story.

Installs cameras in Tommy’s suit so he can see what Tommy sees at all times, so he can give the most accurate info.

God he loves his friend, and yes gamers, he still loves bees ;D

Jordan Cooper (25 y/o):

Tubbo’s older brother! He does his best.

This one isn’t too obvious, but it’s CaptainSparklez!

It’s the Captain! He got the nickname from Tubbo, since he was Percussion Captain in his high school’s marching band and Tubbo instantly started calling him Captain

He works as a video game designer/programmer, or so that’s what he says...

He has a mini-van and no you can’t convince me otherwise.

He watches over Tubbo, as his older brother, since their parents aren’t around.

He has a strict moral compass, he believes in justice above all else. Without justice, good cannot be accomplished.

He works out so much, he has a little gym in the apartment.

George Alexander (30 y/o):

Since I don’t think this one is inherently obvious, it’s GeorgeNotFound oop--

He’s the founder and CEO of Huxley Industries, and also the villain Inveni (thank you Jean for the poggers name)

He works with his two “buddies,” Dream and Sapnap, who only go by their villain names.

Think Kingpin.

Messed up morals, but untouchable: if you try to bring him down, his money can make him recover.

Dream (??? y/o):

Think Mysterio, but like. Not special effects.

He is a master of illusions! He loves getting into his enemy’s head and just messing with them. To him, mental damage is the most powerful.

How he got his powers is unknown to the public, but it’s thought that he got them alongside Sapnap.

Sass Master 10,000(TM)

Sapnap (??? y/o):

Think Fire Elemental, but like. Human.

He has the ability to summon and manipulate fire to however he sees fit! He’s a bit more of a brute, and my god, he hates the sass he gets from Spider-Man.

His power’s origins, just like Dream’s are unknown, although there is speculation.

Future characters may be added, but the above are who we have so far!

Additional Facts:

Tommy has a white/red suit, with blue and purple accents. It’s mostly white with red lining!

Tommy has saved Wilbur and Phil, without them knowing. Wilbur began busking in the wrong area, and nearly got jumped, and Phil was on a hijacked subway train.

Phil panic cleans, this is canon.

It took Tubbo and Tommy MONTHS to figure out the perfect web fluid formula. Imagine their absolute joy when they figure it out!

We got a Spotify playlist! Here’s the link, enjoy~~: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0bM10OHfYRdL86UzKT7Frf?si=FTH-i9H8RK28zVgeOEdy7g

PS: Asks are open! Feel free to ask away about this AU, I’d be more than happy to answer!

PPS: SHOUT OUT TO THE BINGO STANS FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS AU YALL GAVE ME SO MANY 10/10 IDEAS

#mcyt #smsbi au #sbi #sleepy bois inc #sleepy boys inc #philza #ph1lza #technoblade #wilbur soot #tommyinnit #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #sapnap #dream team #captainsparklez

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chuckbass-love · 4 years

Text

Why Him? | Ransom Drysdale | Part 22

A/N: FINAL PART. I just want to take the time to thank everyone for the continued support on this fic and the likes! i really do appreciate it! I’ve got an Andy Barber mini series that i’ll probably start uploading tomorrow.

Disclaimer: My work is not to be posted anywhere else other than my Tumblr, Wattpad and Ao3. However, reblogs are welcome.

Warnings: Soft smut and a lot of fluff

Ransom’s POV

I roll over in bed to see Claudia still fast asleep. This last week we’ve spent quality time together. Dates and movie nights. It’s been nice, just me and her. She truly is everything that i want in a woman.

I feel like i can achieve anything with her by my side, she’s been encouraging me to write. I’ve been toying around with the idea of a book for my grandad. I’ve told him my ideas and he’s agreed to let me assist him in writing his next one. Everything is going great for me. It’s all finally falling into place.

I’m heading into town today with Jason so he can get my advice on a suit that he’s buying for his mother’s wedding. Plus i need his help with something too.

I lean down and start peppering kisses across her shoulder.

“Morning” she mumbles, her eyes still closed.

“Good morning beautiful” she groans

“I don’t feel so beautiful in the morning but i’ll take a compliment from you” she giggles. God her laugh, it’s so adorable.

“I’ve not got long, i need to meet Jason in an hour and i’ve not showered yet” she bites her lips as she lowers herself down to my dick.

“It’s fine we have time” just like that, she takes all of me in her mouth, i bottom out as i reach the back of her throat. No gagging this time. She’s gotten used to it.

“Mhmm, baby that feels so good” i grab a hold of her hair but she stops sucking.

“Fuck me” she gets up off the bed, removing her clothes.

“I’ll never get used to seeing you naked” she’s incredible

I pull her back to the bed and i flip us round so she’s face down on the bed.

“Your wish is my command doll” i slide into her slowly “oh god” she moans out, i smack her ass.

“You ready?” she just mumbles, making me chuckle before i start ramming into her. The noises coming out of her are nothing compared to the other times. Her moans are turning me on even more.

“Like that baby doll?” she nods her head slightly, my thrusts get slower and i lift her ass up so it’s in the air.

“This is more like it” i smack both ass cheeks before going back in. “You gonna cum princess?” she turns her head “yes, keep going daddy. Don’t stop” that’s my signal.

I get faster and harder with my thrusts, she dives her head back into the pillow, i see her hands grip the sheets beneath her.

“I’m cumming daddy”

Just like that, she clenches around me, bringing my orgasm on swiftly after. I pull out and see my cum oozing out of her, what a sight. I take her to the bathroom so we can both shower and as we’re washing she looks up at me.

“What?” she just stands on her tip toes to kiss me. “Nothing, just admiring my man” i love the sound of those words falling out of her mouth.

We finish up and go back into our room to change. I shove on my slacks and a white cable-knit sweater.

“I’ll be back later okay?” i kiss her forehead “say hi to Jason for me. See you later. I love you”

“I love you too”

I head out and get in the beamer to drive to town.

--------------------------

“Now the suit is done, what did you come for?” Jason asks as i’m staring at the rings in the window of a jewellery store.

“Oi oi, rings?” he stands next to me, nudging my arm.

I walk into the store and start talking to the woman about rings. I know what Jason is thinking. It’s too soon. It’s only been a month or so but it feels right. If i had it my way, i’d have done it after she met my family. But now just feels right, it feels perfect.

I settle my eyes on an 18 carat white gold diamond ring. This is the ring. As we head out of the shop and back to our cars, Jason is silent.

“Are you sure she’s the one?” i nod

“I’ve never been more sure, i know it seems crazy but this love is real Jase” he smiles at me.

“I know, it’s painfully obvious how you feel and on her part too, she’s besotted. When you thinking of doing it?” i shrug, i hadn’t really planned that far.

“Not sure yet. All i know is i want to marry her” he gives me a hug which never happens.

“I couldn’t be happier for you man” i chuckle.

“She has to say yes first” he rolls his eyes

“Let’s hope she does”

“Good luck” we part ways and i decide to take a detour before i head back home.

----------------------------

I pull up outside of Claudia’s parent’s house and i take a deep breath before i get out the car. I’m really about to do this. there’s no going back. I walk up to their door, knocking confidently.

Phil answers “Ransom? This is unexpected, is everything okay son?”

“I’m sorry to just pop up unannounced, i really need to talk to you, is this a bad time?”

“No, this is fine. I was just making some tea if you’re interested, come on in” he stands to the side, inviting me in.

“Is it just me that you wanted to talk to because Michelle has just gone out with some friends”

“Actually it was just you i was looking to talk to”

I take a seat at the table, he hands me my tea as he sits down.

“So... what is is you wanted to talk about? Is everything okay?”

“I’ve never done this before, i don’t really know how to go about this”

“What is it?”

“I know that me and Claudia haven’t been together long but there’s no uncertainty in how i feel about her. I came here today to ask for your blessing to take her hand in marriage”

My heart sinks as i look at his face, he looks a bit taken back. I hope this isn’t a bad thing.

“Son, i’ve spent many years dreaming of this day. I’ve always wanted nothing but the best for her. A man that has a secure job and would be able to provide whilst also making her happy. Ransom, you don’t seem to have much in terms of a career”

This is it. I knew it. As much as he seems to like me, it’s very clear that i will never be fully accepted. I knew i should have done more with my life instead of playing life like a game.

“But... the most important thing to me out of everything, is my daughters happiness. Son, me and Michelle have noticed she seems very happy around you. And if you make her that happy then who am i to question this? This is my daughters future that i’m giving to you, she’s my only daughter and you need to understand that naturally i’m going to be protective over her”

“I promise you, for as long as she’s with me you’ll never have to worry. I’ll provide for her, keep her happy and take good care of her. She’s in very good hands”

“Well then you have my blessing”

“You won’t regret this, i won’t let you down sir”

I get up to leave, i’m so happy with the outcome. I’ve never felt this good, i can’t stop smiling. All that i need now is a yes. As much as i know how she feels about me, i don’t know if this will be too soon for her. All these thoughts swirl my mind as i pull out the drive to head home.

-----------------------------

I walk through the front door, making sure to hide the ring in my coat pocket, getting rid of the bag in the kitchen trash before i head into the living room.

“Hey, how was your day?” i kiss her as i sit down next to her on the couch.

“Great, Jason got his suit, took us a long time though. He’s so fussy” she snuggles into my chest, draping her legs over mine.

“Did you get anything nice?” don’t say it Ransom.

“Nope, nothing caught my eye” the lies. I feel my palms go sweaty. I need to calm my nerves and put my poker face on otherwise she’ll get suspicious.

“So your mom called” i look down at her

“She said they are having a party at the mansion tomorrow night and she’s asked us to be there” i kiss her forehead “you got it, you got something to wear for it?” she nods.

“I have a dress that i packed just in case” we continue to watch TV together and i wipe my hands on my coat to rid myself of the sweat.

I really need to chill. “I’m just gonna go change, get into comfier clothes” she turns her head to the TV. I dash upstairs to change and hide the box in the one drawer i know she won’t go in.

--------------------------------

*THE NEXT DAY*

“Do i look okay?” she walks into the living room, still putting her earrings in. She’s dressed in a little black dress and black heels. The same dress she wore the night that we met. She looks insane.

“You look amazing doll, you always do” i pull her between my legs on the arm rest of the couch.

“This ass looks good in this dress” i grip it and she slaps me playfully.

“Well maybe you’ll get lucky later” she winks, pulling me up so we can leave.

We get a cab this time around, knowing that we are gonna end up drinking, especially since i’m planning to propose tonight.

As we enter the mansion, everyone turns to us, smiling away.

“Ransom, Claudia” my parents walk over, greeting us bother and hugging us too.

My grandad soon notices and he makes his way over. He hugs Claudia and then me.

“You look lovely Claudia, it’s so nice to see you again” I’m starting to think my grandad will steal her away. We walk into the room and Claudia makes her way over to Meg and Marta.

This evening is going so well, even Walt who is constantly miserable is smiling. Him and Claudia start talking, should i be worried?

Claudia’s POV

“Claudia” i turn around to find Walt stood there

“Hi Walt” he sighs

“Look, i’m sorry about that first night we met. I really am. I can see how genuine what you and Ransom have is and i’m happy for you both” i’m shocked, it’s clearly taken a lot for him to say this. I lean in and hug him.

“Thank you, i really appreciate that”

Ransom’s POV

She hugs him and they both laugh, i’m shocked. He’s really different tonight, i like it.

I get lost in a chat with my dad that i don’t notice Claudia leave the room. I wonder outside to see her leaning against the wall.

“What you doing out here all alone?” she grins when she turns round to see me.

“Just getting some air” she replies

The sun is starting to set and the sky looks beautiful.

“This sky is stunning” she looks up, in awe. This is it Ransom, do it now.

“You know you were wearing that exact dress the night we met. God that night. I would do anything to be taken back to that night” I chuckle, she walks towards me as i’m leant against the railing on the balcony at the side of the house.

“I remember thinking that i had to have you. You were so sassy and stand offish which for some reason only made me want you more” her dimples come out as she smiles at me.

“That first evening in New York when you turned me down, it only made me more determined to prove myself. I wanted you to know that i wasn’t just after some fling” my palms start to clam up as i fiddle with the box in my coat pocket.

“You’re not just beautiful to me because of your looks Claudia. It’s your heart that holds the true beauty. You always know what to say and do at the right times. You’re caring and kind and despite people not always treating you with the same respect, you always make sure to give them the benefit of the doubt. I find myself just smiling away when i watch you do the simple things. Like when you dance after i give you food, your mood goes away instantly. And when you laugh, like properly laugh, i love that. And when you get excited over the small things like getting to cuddle after a long day or watching movies in bed or even the way you sing along to Disney and musical songs when you are just relaxing. All these things add up in my mind without me realising it and they make me love you even more which i didn’t think was possible. I didn’t think i could love someone as much as i love you. I feel it inside of me, like the whole zoo is in my stomach whenever i’m with you and i don’t ever want this feeling to end” god that was good.

She’s just in shock over everything i just said, looking up at me with love in her eyes.

“Which you know all of this seems crazy, i mean we met a month or so ago for Christ sake. It’s insane. But no one else has ever made me feel the things that you have and no one else puts a smile on my face the way you do” i get down on one knee.

“Ransom” tears start falling down her cheeks.

“Claudia Rose Taylor, will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?” i open the box to reveal the diamond ring and i feel tears in my eyes. We both start crying.

“YES! A THOUSAND TIMES OVER YES” she lowers herself down to my level. Embracing me into a tight hug and kissing me passionately as we break from the hug. We stand up and she kisses me again.

“I can’t believe this”

“I love you so much” she beams

“I love you too future Mrs Drysdale” she covers her face with her hands.

“Come on, let’s go tell my family”

We go back inside and i gather everyone around so we can share the news. They all clap and whistle as we reveal that i just proposed.

“Claudia OMG” Meg runs over, eyeing up the ring.

“It’s beautiful. Not a bad choice ass hat” she slaps my arm playfully and i bring her into a hug. “Gee thanks Meg” we all laugh.

I look down at Claudia, she’s chatting away to my mother.

“We have to start the planning right away, i’ve got so many ideas already” she always did love planning things.

“Right we need to capture this moment... move back you two, let me get a picture” my mom holds her phone up ready for a picture. I wrap my arm around Claudia’s waist and she holds up her hand to show off the ring in the picture. Once it’s taken i kiss her, blissfully unaware that my mom is still taking photos of us.

We thank everyone for their congratulations and shortly after people start leaving one by one so we decide to get off, we still need to tell her parents and friends. As we are in the cab i turn to look at her.

“You happy?” i ask and she kisses me again.

“I’m engaged to the man of my dreams, i couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to be your wife” that word, sends my stomach into a zoo again.

“Well i can’t wait to be your husband” she blushes.

I did it, i asked her to marry me and she actually said yes.

When everyone asked her why him? She stood up and asked them why not him? And right here, right now in this moment with her, i feel on top of the world

#ransomdrysdale #ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale smut #hugh ransom drysdale #ransom thrombey fluff #ransom drysdale fluff #knives out #chris evans #chrisevans smut #chris evans smut #chris evans fluff #fanfiction #smut #fluff

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thethoughtsfromthreeam · 4 years

Text

Monument Woman

Pairing: Marcus Pike x OC (Rosemary Carter)

Warnings: None

A/N: God, I have been wanting to finish this story for weeks, but once we got out of quarantine, I lost all ambition to write. So, I’m glad I finally have enough of a cushion to get part 1 out to you guys. I won’t be following my old posting schedule, but I hope I don’t go so far between posts that you all forget about me!

Reminder: I ain’t ever seen Pedro Pascal in FUCK ALL, I’m just coming up with this as I go along, using imdb.com, wiki, and 84,000 tabs I got open to plan out this shit. I also write soft versions of his characters so if you’re craving asshole vibes, I ain’t got any but my own to offer.

Tag List:

@zeldasayer , @romanticgumchewer, @beskars , @coolmaybelateruniverse , @the-feckless-wonder , @pascalisthepunkest , @mandoandyodito , @randomness501 , @fioccodineveautunnale , @ahopelessromanticwritersworld [please message me to be added or subtracted]

Part 1 – And So We Begin

“Thank you for calling Fort Jamison Historical Museum, this is Rosemary. How can I help you?” The jaunty-sounding phrase rolled off her tongue automatically with little thought behind it until she heard the wizened chuckle on the other end.

“Do you always answer your cell phone like that?” She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned as Robert Lancaster’s chuckle morphed into a hearty laugh. She couldn’t help but giggle along as she dropped her pencil and took off her glasses, setting them on the desk in front of her.

“You know, sometimes I do, especially when I’m not paying attention.” Rosemary leaned back into her chair, propping her feet up on the desk. Her free hand dropped down to fondle Banana’s ears as the dog snoozed next to her. “What’s up, Robert?”

“I’m doing some spring cleaning at the house and shop. I got quite a few boxes accumulated, including stuff I’d like to donate to the museum. When do you think you can come down to look through them? I don’t expect you to take them all, but there are a couple of items I want you to specifically have.” His voice sounded muffled over the phone as he bent down to toss another book into the Friends of the Library box.

“It’s a little slow this week,” she started as she checked the calendar on her wall. “Looks like I can come as early as tomorrow. So, if that works for you, I’ll bring the paperwork with me and we can just get it all done at once.”

“Oh, great! I was hoping you could come soon. It’s been a while since we had time to visit.” His smile was evident in his voice. “Can you do the paperwork on the computer?”

“Sure, we have the fillable PDFs.”

“Even better. Just bring your laptop and we’ll work on it as we go through everything. We can connect to the printer here and then you don’t have to worry about doing any of this at the office. By the way, do you think you’ll have time for lunch?”

“Robert, you know I always have time for you.” She smiled. They had been friends for ten years by that point and he never failed to ask the lunch or dinner question and she never failed to make time for him. Robert had been her first friend when she arrived in Michigan and the long-running friendship between the perpetual bachelor and the bold curator was stuff of area legend.

There had been speculation of a May-December romance between the two, but Robert saw the younger woman as the daughter he never had and on her part Rosemary saw Robert as the father figure she lost when her grandfather passed away.

“Want to do Phil’s or Coral Gables?” She smiled. Just as their dates were always guaranteed, she knew that their location was as well. But it was habit to ask and it never felt right if she didn’t.

“Why do you even ask the question? You know it’s supposed to be nice tomorrow, Coral Gables’ patio all the way.” The two chatted a bit longer before they hung up, returning to the rest of their respective duties. Rosemary sat up and Banana whined when she stopped petting him. Spoiled dog.

“Sorry, Baba. Work calls.” She stood up from her desk and wandered down the hall to the director’s office, knowing Helen was at her desk. The third floor of the museum was workspace for the staff and despite working there for so many years, Rosemary never failed to draw an appreciative breath at the stunning sight of the Kalamazoo River.

As she ambled down the hall, Banana’s nails clicked on the tile floor, hinting that she wasn’t alone on her journey. She smiled as she waved her hand and the dog rushed to her side. The two slowly walked to the director’s office, warming themselves in the afternoon sun that poured through the windows.

Rosemary heard the muttering first as she rounded the corner and entered the office. The stout woman was hunched over her laptop, her salt and pepper pixie cut sticking up everywhere. Whatever she was working on, it was stressing her out. Helen always pulled at her short strands when she was concentrating hard.

Smiling, Helen’s head jerked up as Rosemary knocked on the door. The older woman waved her curator into the office and leaned back. As she stretched, both women could hear a series of loud pops and they started to giggle.

“Ugh, I am getting too old to sit like this. I need a massage.” Helen groaned as yet another loud pop emitted from her shoulder. As Banana scooched under the desk to get scritches from Helen, Rosemary plopped down in one of the armchairs and it creaked in complaint. “Do you have to sit so hard? Those are collection pieces, you know.”

“Not anymore. I deaccessioned them last week into the decorative collection. Donor approved, mind you. So, we can sit in these however we want.” Rosemary grinned as she threw a leg over the arm of the ornate chair. For being so ugly, it was comfortable and not for the first time, she wondered if she could move them to her office without Helen noticing.

“That may be, but it’s not like we have money to fix something you broke because you were being too careless.” Helen raised her eyebrow and Rosemary sat back up in the chair like normal, having the courtesy to look chagrined. The director sat back.

“So, what do you need? Are you still having issues with that Gaylord order?”

“Naw, I talked to them last week, they shipped it out yesterday. Finally.” She rolled her eyes. “Robert Lancaster called me just a bit ago, wanting to donate some items to the museum. I got the time, so I’ll head to Saugatuck tomorrow to handle it.”

“Well, I know Robert is quite the collector, but do you think there are things we’ll want? I’m hard pressed to start accepting any old thing again after we finally got the collections cleared up and decluttered. I know he’s a long-time supporter of the museum, but I don’t know if I can take another ugly piece of furniture with a smile.” Rosemary laughed at the comment.

“To his credit, he said there were things we probably wouldn’t want, and I doubt he’ll be sad if I said no to some things. I certainly want to see what books he’s got for us. We have a few things in the library that probably need to be rotated out into archives for their own protection.

“Besides, I am not going to pass up a chance to swoop in and yank the rug out from underneath Saugatuck. You know that. Watching Fred get mad that I got the leg up on him adds ten years to my life.” Rosemary rubbed her hands gleefully, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

“You really hate him, don’t you?” Helen laughed. Lake Michigan History Center was a charming coastal museum, but everyone agreed their curator was a bit odd. Rosemary took an instant dislike to the man when she came on Fort Jamison’s staff and over the years, their dislike turned into a mutual hatred. Like her friendship with Robert, everyone knew Fred was Rosemary’s mortal enemy and vice versa.

“God, yes! Helen, he’s a dick and greedy as hell. I don’t trust him any further than I can toss his skinny ass. I am still pissed over the diary! Mrs. Greenwich assured me that we were getting it and he slithered into the village last year and took it!” Rosemary’s voice got louder. “THAT DAMN DIARY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SAUGATUCK, LET ALONE MENTIONS IT!”

Helen laughed harder while raising her hands in surrender and her curator stopped herself before she got too carried away. Rosemary cleared her throat and drew a deep breath. Ugh, he always managed to get her riled up even when he wasn’t around. Damn Fred.

“Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t let him get me so mad, but god. I hate him so much! So, if Robert Lancaster’s got something that would make Fred die with envy, then by god, I’m gonna bring it home.”

“Alright. I trust you as usual. But since you’re here, I want to go over a couple of things with you for this grant so I can get it out Friday.”

The two women moved on to other things and fell into discussion about the future of projects for the museum and how to fund them.

---***---

“Cripes.”

The word was accompanied by a deep groan. Agent Marcus Pike sat back in his chair to rub his eyes for the third time in less than an hour. Some intern had dumped four boxes of case files in his office and was coming back with four more. And the intern was certain there was another half dozen.

When three art pieces were stolen in Canada last year, Pike had been notified as a courtesy from his Canadian counterparts. Which in and of itself wasn’t unusual, but the notes from the agents there stood out to Pike and he realized that the details match another case he had worked on earlier in the year. And further digging uncovered almost three dozen cases dating back almost thirty years that carried all the hallmarks of this most recent one. And more importantly – they were all still open.

He had taken his concerns and theories to the Art Squad chief, Agent Maria Luisa Armand, and with her blessing, assembled a crew to explore these cold cases. Maybe with new technology and eyes, they’d get the lead to solve them all.

The dull throbbing behind his eyes seemed to get worse and he leaned further back in his chair, trying to do some breathing exercises to reduce the pressure. He let his eyes go unfocused, letting the colored light reflected on his ceiling go blurry. The stained glass propped up in his office window had been a bit of an indulgence for him, but Pike never regretted the purchase and, in that moment, the colored streaks help bring some sense of zen that he needed.

A knock on his door forced him out of his zone and he sat up to see his partner, Brenda Carmichael, waiting at the door. He smiled when he saw her and she returned the gesture, coming in to sit in one of the chairs. The two had been partners for six years and together they had solved dozens of cases and thwarted twice as much.

“Do we have a plan, Carmichael?”

“Yep. Someone is coming to get these boxes and take them to Conference D, which I commandeered.”

“How did you do that?”

“Threatened to tell Harrison’s wife that he was spending big cash on that escort he’s seeing.”

“Ouch, a little low, don’t you think?” Pike laughed.

“God no. Harrison doesn’t ever play nice, so you can’t do it with him.” She waived her hand and laughed, her tightly coiled hair bouncing as if it was laughing, too. “Anyway, three junior agents are on the job currently preparing to create the timeline and pulling all the files. Two more are working to create point of contact lists for witnesses and such. And finally, I think Armand is putting on the coffee.”

“So where does that leave you and me?” He didn’t think he’d get such a big crew to do this. Must be a slow day in other departments. “I want Fitzbender on the NSAF search and follow up, though, before I forget.

“That’s fine. And we supervise.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it for now. Until we have more material to work with. So up off your duff and let’s get going.”

Pike smiled as he pulled himself out of his chair, grabbing his jacket and gesturing to Carmichael to leave first. If they could solve these cases, it would be the biggest win in the Art Squad’s recent history and Pike really wanted to bring those pieces home where they belonged.

---***----

“Robert, you know I love you, but you have some ugly stuff here.” Rosemary’s nose wrinkled at the stuffed monkey with murderous eyes staring at her from a box. The only place that creepy thing was going was in the garbage. She moved on to another open box, pawing through the items that were housed there, pulling out a couple of potentials.

“Yeah, well no accounting for taste, I guess.” Robert groaned as he leaned over and pulled open another box. He thought he had labelled all of them for the museum, but he realized three of them got mixed up in the junk pile. “God, how did I miss all these boxes. I’m sorry Rosie, I am usually better organized.”

“It’s not a problem, Robert.” Rosemary walked over with the contents of yet another box, a bounce in her step as she realized she snagged a two-hundred-year-old map of the area that Fred would have murdered her to get for himself. Her grin was almost feral at the idea that she one upped the old bastard. “Hey, question.”

“What?” Robert had moved on to a small box on his desk that had a post-it with Rosemary’s name on it.

“What’s with all the cleaning and giving away all of a sudden? The house wasn’t like this when I visited two months ago.” She wiped the sweat off her brow and turned to look at him. He was quiet and she took a moment to really look at him.

She knew from long talks that Robert had been living in the Saugatuck area since the 1990s. He had come from Chicago, declaring he needed a slower pace and his bookstore was a welcomed addition to the downtown area. He was highly philanthropic to causes he loved, like the Fort Jamison museum.

After her Pops passed away several years ago, she seemed to lean even more into Robert to fill the empty void and he did so gladly. As she watched him shuffle about, she grew concerned because he looked more frail than usual. The man had always been on the thin side, but he looked scarily thin and a thought skittered through her mind that sent a wave of sadness through her.

“Robert, are you sick?” There was no hiding the sadness in Rosemary’s voice. When he stopped and hesitated, she didn’t need a verbal answer from him. She walked over from where she was standing and placed her hand on his shoulder, turning him around. “Robert.”

He bowed his head and wrapped his arms around the younger woman as tight as he could, and she did the same. He began to cry on her shoulder, and it startled her, causing tears to form in her eyes. She silently rubbed his back in comforting circles as sobs wracked Robert’s body. They stood there a long time before he quieted down, but even then, Rosemary refused to let him go, hugging him close to her.

He was her friend and she loved him dearly, so if he were dying, it would devastate her. Robert made a move to pull back and she reluctantly let him go but held onto his arms with her hands to keep him close. His red-rimmed eyes crushed the broken pieces of her heart. He sighed.

“Rosie.” He took a deep breath. “I met with my doctor last week and I have stage four pancreatic cancer. He only gave me a few months to live.”

“Oh Robert.” The tears started up again and she threw her arms around him. They cried together a second time and the sadness enveloped them. As she held him close, her tears made her voice rough. “That’s what spurred this on, isn’t it?”

“Yes. But you’re the only one to know right now. I didn’t want to tell anyone else until you knew.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Well, for starters, this hug is pretty good.” He chuckled a little bit. “And get some of this stuff out of my house. And then just be my friend until the end.”

“Always.” She pulled back to look at him. “But it will be a cold day in hell before that ugly ass monkey comes with me.”

The tension and sadness were broken, letting them laugh a bit through their tears. They stepped apart and let themselves smile at each other.

“Let’s get lunch and come back to this stuff later. It’s too nice of a day to miss out on the patio.”

#Agent Marcus Pike #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike x oc #Pedro Pascal #pedro pascal x reader #fanfic #the mentalist

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jaskiers-sweetkiss · 4 years

Text

Bombshell [B. Barnes] - 1

Pairing: British S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent!Reader x Bucky Barnes

Warnings: swearing probably, (legal) consumption of alcohol, I think that’s it for this chapter?

Word Count: 6.3K

a/n: SO stands for Supervising Officer, not Significant Other. See end of chapter for more notes.

Masterlist Prologue Next Part

___

It had been months since you had followed Coulson's team onto their giant plane and flew to Nick Fury's secret base. You had parted with the team when Hill arrived at the base and offered you immunity as well as an opportunity to continue working with herself and Natasha which you gladly took, but not before making it clear to Coulson that you would always be loyal to SHIELD and that he should contact you if he needed anything.

It hadn't taken long for him to take you up on that offer.

You had been walking out of the Avengers Tower about a month later, having finished work for the day, when you got the call from a private number. Calls from private numbers were common in your line of work so you hadn't thought anything of it when you picked up.

"Agent Y/L/N?"

"Coulson?" you were shocked to hear his voice. You knew you had said to call if SHEILD needed anything but in truth you had assumed the organization would die out once Coulson and his team had settled their score with Grant Ward and John Garrett.

"Remember when you said to call if I needed anything?"

"Distinctly, sir."

"Again with the 'sir,'" Coulson chuckled, reminding you of his request back at the Hub. "There's a car waiting for you out front if you're interested in hearing me out."

You sighed as you stepped out onto the crowded Manhattan pavement. "Coulson, surely you understand why I wouldn't get into a vehicle with someone I didn't know."

"I do understand," Coulson responded just as you looked up, locking eyes with the man. "That's why I'm driving."

Phil Coulson was parked in front of Avengers Tower in a 1962 red Chevy Corvette.

"You're letting me ride in Lola?" You gasped excitedly, knowing how much Phil Coulson prized his antique car. "You must really want my help."

"Well, don't get too comfortable," He said as you buckled your seatbelt, "I'm going to have to blindfold you."

"Coulson where exactly are we going?"

"SHIELD's new secret headquarters."

"You resurrected SHIELD?" You couldn't keep the excitement from your voice. Being a SHIELD agent was all you had ever known and the month in which you had presumed it dead was devastating, but hearing that the organization was still operating, albeit in secret, provided you with a sense of relief you couldn't quite explain.

"With Fury's blessing," Coulson responded with a grin before faltering. "I assume you know Fury's alive?"

"It seems I can't stop working with men who are supposed to be dead but aren't." She quipped.

"I suppose you're right." Coulson conceded lightly before returning to business. "I'd like to take you to see the new HQ and meet the team but until you agree to sign on, I'm afraid its location will have to remain a secret."

He held out a blindfold and you sighed reluctantly but took it nonetheless.

"Won't it look a little suspicious, me sitting clearly blindfolded in your convertible?" You questioned, unintentionally stalling putting on the blindfold. "You didn't have any other vehicles available with a bit more discretion?"

"Oh, I could've taken one of the SUVs, but it's like you said: I really want your help."

___

The base was amazing. Originally Peggy Carter's S.S.R. facility, the Playground had been renovated to provide any and everything the underground organization could need. Upon their arrival, Coulson had given you a full tour of the facility, starting with the massive hanger, then the labs, gym, living quarters, and holding cells. The Playground felt homier than the Hub, with its brick walls and warm tones, but it certainly wasn't any less technologically advanced.

"So, director, where do I sign on?" You asked as you sat across from Coulson in his office.

"Nowhere, yet," Coulson answered, leaning back in his desk chair. "I'd like you to meet the team first."

"Coulson, I already love your team. It would be an honor to work with them again."

"Yes, well, the team looks a little different these days." Coulson checked his watch. "They should be ready for you now."

You followed the director out of his office and back to the communal kitchen and living room where Coulson seemed to have gathered all his agents.

"We have a few agents out on assignment, but for the most part this is SHIELD" He explained as they stood in the entranceway.

You were a bit underwhelmed by the turnout; only about a dozen agents filled the room, nothing compared to the organization's previous size.

"I know it's not much," Coulson continued, noticing the look of dismay on your face, "We're doing our best to rebuild, trying to recruit as many agents as we can. That's where you come in."

You were broken-hearted to see your beloved organization reduced to a handful of agents but it had only been a month you rationalized, and not many people were likely willing to work for what the United States government had deemed a terrorist organization.

"I already told you I was ready to sign on, Coulson. You're the one who's postponing that."

"You're right." Coulson smiled guiltily, turning to get the attention of his agents. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet our newest addition, Agent Y/N Y/L/N. She hasn't officially signed on yet so be nice to her until she does."

You laughed at that before Coulson gestured for you to go mingle. You immediately beelined for the first familiar face you saw.

"Trip!" You greeted the man excitedly, thrilled, though not surprised, to see that he was still apart of the organization.

"Agent Y/L/N!" He turned to greet you in return. "I hope you're not going to pull a gun on me this time." He teased, referring back to when you had last met at the Hub.

"As long as I have no reason to suspect you're Hydra then you ought to be safe." You quipped back, slightly shocked that you were able to joke about such a traumatic day. "And please, for the love of Christ, call me Y/N."

"Sorry, old habits die hard I guess." Trip apologized sincerely before going right back to their teasing banter. "Now, it's been good to see you, but I'm pretty sure the point of us all being here was for you to get to know the agents you haven't already threatened."

You rolled your eyes in exasperation, though the smile on your face gave away the insincerity of the action. You had only had a few days on the Bus and at the Providence base to truly get to know each other but you knew Trip was a good man and you enjoyed his presence.

"At least go get a beer," Trip said, nodding towards the fridge.

You nodded, agreeing to his idea and insisting you catch up later before heading across the room, though you didn't even make it to the fridge before you was stopped by another agent, this one unfamiliar.

"So, Coulson's got the British Bombshell working for SHIELD again." The deep voice rumbled from behind you and you turned to face the large black man.

"I see my reputation precedes me," You said with a small chuckle, always surprised when people knew who you were, "though I prefer to go by Y/N." You stuck your hand out for the man to shake.

"Mack," the man shared, grasping your hand in a firm shake.

"Well, Mack, I was just going to grab a beer. Would you like one?" You offered, leading the way to the fridge as you chatted. As it turned out Mack was the new head of mechanics, though he wasn't new to SHEILD.

"Going straight for a beer? A woman after my own heart." A British voice spoke out as you turned from the fridge with two beers in hand.

The man nimbly snatched one of the bottles from your hand and Mack rolled his eyes, indicating that this happened often, you handed him the remaining beer before turning back to grab one for yourself. You took a moment to examine the man as you uncapped the bottle. He contrasted with Mack, the white man dwarfed by the other agent's height and built frame. He didn't look like a typical SHIELD agent with his scruffy beard and unrefined physique and you wondered if he was a completely new hire.

"I didn't know Coulson hired another Brit before he even tried to recruit me." You needled as you sipped your beer.

"Ah, finally a familiar accent!" The man exclaimed, "It was starting to feel a little lonely around here. I'm Hunter."

"Y/N." You introduced, shaking hands with the scruffy-faced man. "It can't be too lonely, though, what about FitzSimmons?"

"Isn't much talking from them around here anymore, is there?" Hunter said brashly, assuming that you were already aware of what had happened.

Mack, however, had gone silent, a somber expression on his face.

"There was... an accident." Mack finally spoke. "They both made it out but Fitz has some brain damage and Simmons left."

"Brain damage? But Fitz is still here?" You asked, deciding you would ask Coulson for the details later.

The men nodded, Hunter jerking his head towards the lab across the hall.

"He has issues speaking and using his hands," Mack explained when he saw the pained look on your face as you watched the man wander around, looking lost in his own lab. "He's been isolating himself."

You nodded, setting your half-finished beer on the countertop and excusing yourself, making your way across the hall.

Like with Trip, you had only had a few days with Leo Fitz but he and Simmons had been so warm and friendly towards you, thrilled to have another Brit traveling with them. The three of them had clicked together immediately and it pained you to see that all torn apart.

"Hey, Fitz." You said cautiously as you entered the lab and the man in question spun around.

"Agent... uh... agent-" He stammered, shaking his hand anxiously as he tried to come up with her last name but failed.

"Y/N." You corrected softly, smiling at your friend.

"No, that's not..." He protested, reaching his hands up to grasp his head in frustration.

"Fitz, it's okay." You placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I don't want you to call me Agent Y/L/N. We're not colleagues passing in the field, you know me. It's Y/N."

"Y/N." Fitz nodded, relaxing his posture, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

You quickly fell into silence after that, Fitz struggling with words and you unsure of how to navigate the issue. You ended up standing side by side watching as the other agents milled around across the hall. The silence had become comfortable as you stood together, merely observing.

"I'm so glad to be back." You sighed happily, resting your head on Fitz's shoulder.

"But it's, uh, it's different now." Fitz stuttered out harshly, straightening up and causing your head to fall from his shoulder.

You reached out a hand comfortingly, placing it on his shoulder.

"Different doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"I have... I have to." He turned his back to her as he gestured frustratedly towards the lab, unable to come up with the right words.

"Of course, you have work to do." You tried not to be upset by the sudden harshness, you knew he was struggling to adjust. "I'll leave you to it."

You made your way back across the hall, hoping to find Coulson and ask what had happened to SHIELD's most famous scientist duo. However, when you found the director, he was accompanied by an older and shorter man who you recognized immediately.

"Agent Koenig... you're alive?" You managed to get out through your shock. You had seen Agent Koenig's dead body for yourself at Providence. "I thought Ward had killed you at Providence!"

"That was my brother, Eric, actually." The Agent said somberly, though he switched back to chipper in an instant. "I'm Billy Koenig."

"I'm so sorry for your loss Agent Koenig," You spoke sincerely, a frown on your face as you introduced yourself. "I'm-"

"The British Bombshell," Billy gushed, shaking your hand excitedly. "Agent Y/N Y/L/N. Can I get a picture?"

"I beg your pardon?" You gasped, slightly affronted. It was one thing to know your name and your accomplishments but you felt strongly that your line of work shouldn't inspire fandom.

"We'll need a picture of you for your lanyard," Billy explained and you nodded sheepishly.

The picture only took a matter of seconds and you were glad you had been coming off a day at work and not your day off. This way you at least looked presentable.

"Sir- Coulson," you corrected, hoping to get away from Billy, something about the Koenigs unnerved you. "It's been lovely seeing the facilities and meeting the team but I have a job to go to in the morning and we still have a contract to discuss."

They returned to the director's office, passing Mack and Hunter who were now thoroughly engaged in a video game as some of the other agents crowded around to watch. You stopped to hug Skye on your way out of the room, promising the girl that you'd make time to catch up next time you were on base.

"Sir, what happened to Fitz?" You blurted out once they were in the hallway, unable to contain the question that had been nagging you.

"Ward dropped him and Simmons into the ocean in a storage container." You gasped. "They managed to escape but Fitz went nine minutes without oxygen. He's got brain damage, but he's been making very slow improvements. A month ago he couldn't even speak."

"With all due respect, sir, why isn't Ward dead yet?" You asked, your own blood boiling from learning what the traitorous bastard had done, you couldn't even imagine how Coulson's team had to be feeling.

"Because I'd rather watch him suffer in a cell," Coulson answered curtly, taking a seat at his desk. "Now, about that contract."

As it turned out, Coulson had already been in contact with Hill and Fury to work out a system so that you could continue to work for both organizations. You were relieved by this, as it meant you wouldn't have to go through the hassle of making all the arrangements, however, with all of your employers aware of your position, you knew you'd be asked to share classified information as there was no way the Avengers and SHIELD weren't withholding any information from each other.

Coulson explained that you would go back and forth as needed and that SHIELD would provide transportation whenever necessary. Additionally, you would have a room at the base to stay in when you worked with SHIELD as Coulson wanted to limit the frequency of people entering and exiting the base as much as possible to protect its location. You signed immediately.

"I don't suppose that offer of transportation starts now?"

Coulson held up Lola's keys. "I'll drive you home."

___

Though you wouldn't have it any other way, it was certainly difficult working for both organizations. Only Fury and Maria knew of your employment at SHIELD, the organization-- and Coulson's life-- needing to remain a secret from the Avengers. Life was a little easier at the Playground as you were able to tell your colleagues that you worked with the Avengers, however, your work there was highly classified. Not to mention most of the agents weren't aware that Fury was alive and well; another dead man's secret for you to keep.

Secret-keeping aside, working with the Avengers was a bit of a dream itself. There was less fieldwork for you there, the team of well-trained superheroes typically took care of that, but there was still the joy of tracking and taking down Hydra which had become a bit of a passion project for you as of late. Plus, Avengers Tower was fully equipped with a state-of-the-art training facility and plenty of competent sparring partners for when you got too restless at your desk. And really, who wouldn't be thrilled to be working alongside The Avengers? Literal superheroes. It had taken all of your Academy training to maintain your composure when you had first met them.

You had been working at the tower for about a week when Nat had approached you. The Black Widow had been the only Avenger you had seen in that first week, which surprised you as you thought you'd at least meet Tony Stark since you technically worked for him and he owned the building but your paths never crossed. But apparently, on Friday nights the team got together for drinks on the Avengers' floor and it seemed "the team" also included you. You had half-expected to be the only outsider when you stepped off the elevator with Nat that evening but you were relieved to be wrong. The floor's common area was filled with a mixture of heroes and agents, you recognized Sharon Carter at the bar and Callie Hannigan chatting with a few younger agents in one corner. You were relieved to see Callie here, the young scientist was brilliant and there was no question in your mind that Hydra had attempted to recruit her.

Maria had been waiting for the pair by the door, her hair down for once and her usual serious expression relaxed.

"Feels a bit like we're back at the Academy, the three of us at a party together," you remarked nostalgically as you made your way to the bar.

"It's better than the academy," Maria quipped. "This time I won't have to take care of you both when you're hungover tomorrow."

"I don't think I've had a hangover since Nat left the Academy." you teased and Maria laughed knowingly.

"I didn't realize you stopped having fun when I left." The redhead teased back, pouting in faux sympathy.

"Oh, I still had plenty of fun, I just didn't have anyone forcing me to drink vodka all night!"

"Well good thing I'm here, then," Nat said, turning to the bartender to order, "Two vodka sodas please."

"Oh absolutely not!" You protested with a laugh, addressing the bartender yourself. "I'll have a beer please."

"You're no fun."

You and Maria laughed at the sincere pout on the woman's face.

"Sorry Nat, I'm a big girl now," you shrugged with a grin, taking a sip of your beer, "I don't let the girl from across the hall bully me into doing shots with her in the boiler room."

You could tell Natasha was ready with another clever quip to throw back at you but you were fortunately saved from hearing it.

"Romanoff, aren't you going to introduce us to your beautiful friend?" The three of you turned your heads at the comment and you were unsurprised to see that Tony Stark was behind it.

He was standing closer to the middle of the room with the rest of the Avengers, all of whom were now staring at the three of you.

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any for you to meet the team." Maria shrugged, and Nat led the way over to the group of men.

"Tony Stark," The man introduced, suavely kissing the back of your hand with a wink. "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"Extra emphasis on the 'playboy' part I suppose," You smirked, not swooning in the way that you assumed many other women did when met with that greeting.

Tony's ears seemed to perk up at the sound of your accent. "Cap, she's just your type!"

Steve Rogers, who was engaged in a conversation with a man you assumed to be Sam Wilson, turned at the comment but only to roll his eyes at the man.

"Oh come on!" Tony whined, throwing his arms up at his team. "Romanoff and Hill bring a gorgeous British woman to the party and none of you are even paying attention!"

"For the record, Nat and Maria didn't bring me. I was invited as a member of your organization." You said pointedly, growing tired of being underestimated and dismissed as just a pretty face.

"You work here?" Tony balked slightly and you nodded, doing your best not to stare at the man like he was a lunatic. "Shit, I am so sorry. Jesus this is an HR nightmare."

"You can relax Mr. Stark, I have no intention of reporting you to HR." you laughed lightly, hoping to diffuse the tension. "Though I really would suggest you avoid underestimating every beautiful woman who walks through your door, some of us could kill you without breaking a nail."

"I suppose you hired her?" Tony asked Maria, giving the woman a pointed look.

"Trained her myself back in the day," Maria smirked proudly.

"Hey! I helped!" Nat pouted.

"Yeah, helped her get into trouble." Maria shot back with a cheeky grin and Natasha gasped, mouth dropping open.

"Come on, Chris," she said, grabbing your wrist to pull you away from Maria and Tony. "I have cooler people to introduce you to."

You laughed as you followed your friend away from Maria and Tony. The redhead practically dragged you over to the two superheroes having a conversation a few feet away. You stood idly by as Nat greeted the pair before your friend finally brought the attention to you.

"Captain America, Falcon, meet the British Bombshell." Nat introduced you, and if you hadn't been so starstruck you might've rolled your eyes at the nickname. "Y/N Y/L/N, meet Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson."

"Captain Rogers, glad you're not still missing in the Potomac." You smiled in a way that you hoped was confident as you shook the super soldier's hand. Your hand shook slightly in his and you knew it caused your usually firm handshake to weaken.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you realized you should've also greeted his companion but the Captain America was standing in front of you and you suddenly had tunnel vision.

"I thought that was highly classified SHIELD information?"

"Uh, well, I was a high-ranking SHIELD agent before you took it down, sir." You began talking with your hands, something you only did when you were nervous or anxious. "Nat also brought me in for, uh, information on the w-Winter Soldier."

"That was you?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"The 'sir' really isn't necessary." Steve smiled, reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I'm just Steve Rogers."

"Right, of course. Sorry." You rushed out an apology, cheeks flushing.

As your conversation fell into silence your brain finally caught up with you and you jumped slightly as you realized how rude you had been.

"I'm so sorry, Sam!" You exclaimed, turning towards the other man. "It's great to meet you."

Throughout your interaction, Natasha had stood to the side, watching with a smirk as her friend stumbled through her words. Nat wasn't sure she had ever seen you this flustered, you were usually very composed and confident.

"Are you okay Agent Y/L/N?" Sam asked softly, clearly noticing your odd behavior despite never having met you before. The part of your brain that was currently failing to inform the rest supposed it was due to his background helping veterans. "Your face is very red and you're shaking."

You quickly placed your hands on your cheeks, immediately feeling the heat coming from them and you blushed even more, embarrassed by how embarrassed you were.

"Oh, Christ," you muttered softly, taking a moment to compose yourself. "I'm alright, thank you for asking, I guess I'm just a little starstruck." You acknowledged honestly, and Steve chuckled lightly while Natasha huffed indignantly.

"That's no fair," Nat whined. "You never act like that when you see me! I'm an Avenger too, y'know!"

Your confidence seemed to be restored slightly by Natasha's entrance into the conversation.

"You've got to be kidding me!" You exclaimed, your turn to be indignant. "I've known you since before you were an Avenger! And I've been learning about Captain America since I was a child!"

"They taught you about World War Two when you were a kid?" Sam interrupted, eyes wide in disbelief.

"No! No, my mom was a history professor." You explained, a mixture of joy and grief in your eyes as you spoke about your mother. "She used to weave history into our bedtime stories, real-life superheroes were kind of an obvious choice for that. I was actually a history major before SHIELD recruited me."

"So I was a bedtime story?" Steve asked curiously, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"A historically accurate bedtime story." You corrected with a smile, your heart still racing but you were finally able to find some composure.

"Agent Y/L/N?" A familiar voice spoke from behind you.

"Agent Barton!" You greeted cheerfully, turning around to greet the man. "How've you been? How are Laura and the kids?"

"You know each other?" Steve questioned, brows furrowed in confusion.

"We worked a few ops together back in the day," Clint explained and you laughed, the missions you shared after your graduated were only the tip of the iceberg.

"I hope you didn't forget all that time at the academy," You smirked.

"Believe me I've tried," Clint groaned. "You guys were my worst nightmare at the academy."

"Wait, I'm sorry, you all went to school together?" Steve asked, seemingly only becoming more confused as the conversation continued. "No offense Clint but aren't you a little too old for that to have happened?"

"Agent Barton used to be an instructor at the Academy," You explained while Clint tried to get over the age comment.

"These two were always doing something stupid or dangerous and Maria was usually a few steps behind trying to stop them," Clint continued, pointing an accusatory finger at you and Natasha.

As the evening progressed you got to know more of the famous Avengers. Unfortunately, you were informed that Thor was off-world at the moment, a fact that bummed you slightly. Though you knew from her time with SHIELD that Thor was merely another alien, you still desperately wanted to meet one of the aliens that inspired Norse mythology. Dr. Banner was much more mellow than you had expected given his big green counterpart, and while he was a pleasant conversationalist, the man was very work-oriented and you noticed he tended to bring up whatever projects he was working on as much as possible.

___

Since meeting the Avengers that day you had grown close with many of them, though you suspected your inclusion in the group was mostly Natasha's doing. Steve, Sam, and Nat began regularly joining you for lunch, something you were honored to be apart of as you could tell the three were quite close. Their close-knit team seemed to have adopted you almost immediately after finding out you had helped with their Winter Soldier hunt. It was nice having that sense of family again, and you continued to treasure it even after rejoining your SHIELD family.

You grew particularly close to Steve, the blond super soldier always willing to indulge your curiosities of the past; very few people asked about what life was like back then, always more interested in the serum and what it was like to be a superhero. You were always taught not to believe everything in your history textbooks, "History is written by the victors," your mom would say, reminding you of how biased the textbooks could be, so you sought out first-hand accounts whenever you could, and Steve Rogers held a wealth of information in his young mind and eidetic memory. Steve found your treatment of him refreshing and eagerly entertained your interests and requests, even offering to take you with him on a trip to D.C. to visit Peggy Carter.

The British agent was one of your favorite topics to ask Steve about. You had grown up idolizing Peggy Carter, learning about everything she did to aid the war effort and further women's' rights in your history classes. Your adoration of the woman only grew when you joined SHIELD and learned everything Carter had done in both the S.S.R. and SHIELD, and now you were even working part-time in the woman's old base. After a few months of retelling story after story about Peggy, Steve came up with the idea to bring you with him to meet her, an offer you readily accepted.

"I cannot believe I'm going to meet Peggy Carter," You said breathlessly, your leg shaking anxiously as you sat across from Steve on one of Stark's private jets. "She is my-"

"Idol," Steve finished for you with a smirk, "That's the third time you've said that today and probably the millionth since I offered to let you come with."

You blushed guiltily, hoping you weren’t annoying the man.

"I really can't thank you enough for bringing me along," you said earnestly, "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Your anxious behaviors persisted through the rest of the hour and fifteen-minute flight; it was short compared to the majority of flights you had been on in your life but it felt like an eternity.

A car was waiting for you when the plane touched down which brought you to the hotel you would be staying at overnight. Steve wasn't a huge fan of airplanes and preferred to limit how much time he spent on them each day so even though this was a brief trip that wouldn't take all day, you’d be flying back to New York tomorrow. Once you had dropped your belongings off in your respective hotel rooms you began the journey to Peggy's retirement home.

Steve had insisted you walk as the hotel was only a few blocks away from the retirement home and you were grateful for the decision. The fresh air and constant movement managed to momentarily quell your anxious energy and the crowded DC streets gave you something else to focus on. Each new person you passed was another threat to asses and while you would usually dismiss this overly paranoid behavior, you excused it today. You was with Captain America after all and Hydra wasn't even close to being destroyed. You both likely had targets on your backs, you rationalized, and so you remained vigilant. If Steve noticed, he didn't say anything, something you were thankful for.

"Hey, Peg, how's my best girl?" Steve asked softly as he walked into the with a clear sense of familiarity before turning back to you, standing awkwardly in the doorway, not wanting to intrude, but Steve beckoned you into the room. "I've got someone I want you to meet."

"Steve!" Peggy gasped excitedly when you moved closer. "Did you finally bring your girlfriend?"

Your anxious energy seemed to vanish once you had stepped into the room. It was strange, meeting Peggy wasn't nearly as bad as meeting Steve had been despite Peggy having become something of a role model for you since joining SHIELD. Yet as you observed the grey-haired woman laying in the bed, just having mistaken you for Steve Rogers' girlfriend, you felt oddly at ease.

You couldn't help but giggle at the look of abject horror on Steve's face at the assumption and though Peggy Carter was well into her nineties and Steve had warned you of the woman's Alzheimer's, the former agent seemed to be just as sharp as ever that day as she scrutinized your body language.

"He's been telling me about this woman he likes for months now, but he wouldn't tell me anything about her other than that she's tenacious and they work together." Peggy frowned at Steve with mock irritability.

"Oh, really?" You smiled gleefully at this new information and Steve groaned. "We will definitely be discussing this later, Rogers."

Peggy's ears perked up at your voice and a devilish grin to match yours grew on her face.

"Steven Grant Rogers, you have a type!" She gasped excitedly, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"P-pardon me?" Steve stuttered out, clearly uncomfortable with the way this conversation was proceeding between the love of his life and one of his closest friends.

"Tenacious and British," Peggy supplied, grinning at her, incorrect, revelation, and you couldn't help but fan the flames.

"I'm a SHIELD agent too, ma'am." You grinned at Steve's death glare, the supersoldier knowing exactly what you were doing. "Or, well, I was before..." you trailed off mournfully, gesturing off at the distance to convey the disaster that came out of Project Insight, needing to uphold your cover.

Peggy gasped excitedly, grinning at Steve who just groaned again.

"I hate to burst your bubble, Peg," He sighed, glaring at you, "But this ain't my girlfriend. Agent Y/N Y/L/N is a very dear friend of mine and she's been asking me question after question about you for months so I figured it might be nice for the two of you to meet."

"Well, any friend of Steve's is a friend of mine," Peggy smiled, despite her girlfriend theory having been proven wrong. "It's nice to meet you, Agent Y/L/N."

Your heart pounded proudly at that statement. Peggy Carter was glad to meet you and had even insinuated friendship.

"Y/N is fine, ma'am." You said bashfully, your awkwardness apparently choosing now to kick in. "And the pleasure is all mine."

"Peggy is fine, Y/N." The former agent mimicked your correction and you grinned happily.

The three of you chatted amicably for a few hours. Steve and Peggy happily sharing stories about the "good old days," you and Peggy venting about the treatment of women in the workplace, especially within intelligence communities, and discussing more lighthearted topics like the similarities between Tony and Howard Stark. You desperately wanted to talk to Peggy about the new SHIELD, how the organization she founded was still operating in its intended role, how they had renovated her old base, but SHIELD's existence was classified now, especially to Steve Rogers. However, you did manage to slip in an innocuous compliment or two about the old SSR base.

After a while, you excused herself from the room. You knew Steve's time with Peggy was sacred and while you were eternally grateful for the opportunity to be apart of it, you didn't want to monopolize all their time. Instead, you opted to wait outside the building. You had noticed a small park nearby when you and Steve had been walking over and thought it would be a peaceful place to wait. Certainly better than the waiting room of a retirement home.

It was sitting on that park bench that you noticed him. Or rather, that you noticed him again. You knew you had seen the man standing across the street from the retirement home before but you couldn't quite place him. It wasn't until he lifted a gloved hand to tuck a strand of dark hair behind his ear that you realized you had seen him when you and Steve had entered the building hours earlier. At the time you had found the man's use of gloves in such beautiful weather odd, but ultimately dismissed him as innocent enough. Now, however, you weren’t so sure.

What were the odds that the same man would be standing across the street from that very building hours apart?

You knew you were likely being paranoid again, but in your line of work paranoia was called vigilance and so you continued to observe the man. In addition to gloves, the man was wearing a red henley and jeans, an innocent enough choice if it wasn't about seventy-five degrees out. Plus his dark shoulder-length hair was kept down, rather than pulled up into the man-bun style that wasn't uncommon these days. Christ, the man had to be sweating!

You had spent four years at the Academy mastering the art of surveillance, honing your ability to observe without being observed. You were good at it, your instructors had called you natural, but that didn't seem to stop you from being caught that day. It was like the man could sense your gaze, you had only been observing him for a moment when he turned to stare straight at you. You could've sworn your heart stopped when you saw his face.

Even with the baseball cap attempting to obscure it, there was no question in your mind: the Winter Soldier couldn't have been more than fifty feet away from you.

No, you thought, remembering what Steve had said about his final battle with the man, it was Sargent James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th who was staring at you.

You weren’t sure exactly what to do but you felt certain that you needed to make contact. The man had been brainwashed by Hydra for decades and was credited with at least two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years. If there was still any part of Hydra left in his mind he was a potential threat to civilians. You couldn't let him walk away, but if it really was Sargent Barnes in there then you couldn't arrest him either. If Steve was right, then James Barnes hadn't committed any of those crimes and was instead a man lost in time, likely with the weight of the guilt of those crimes. No, you’d have to take matters into your own hands.

You stood slowly, hoping to be able to have a verbal conversation with the man but even from the distance you could see the way he tensed at your action. Instead, you reached into your purse, ignoring the way the man flinched, likely assuming you were reaching for a weapon, and pulled out a pen and an old business card you found shoved in there. You jotted down a small message on the back along with the number of one of your many burner phones before walking back towards the retirement home and pretending to accidentally drop the paper as you went.

You hoped the man got her message, but if not, well, burner phones were meant to be thrown away.

___

a/n: I almost bumped Bucky’s first appearance to the next chapter but figured how to make it fit here. I hope I did Peggy Carter justice. I know realistically that at 95 years old she would probably be a lot different from the way I wrote her but I like the idea that she would be just as sharp and youthful as ever on her good days and even though she likely still feels the same heartbreak as Steve that their chance at happiness together was ripped away, she got a chance to move on and be happy and wants the same for him, hence the girlfriend conversation. Speaking of, any guesses on who Steve’s coworker crush is?

Also, I know that canonically Nat and a lot of other agents didn’t go to the Academy but for all intents and purposes of this fic every potential SHIELD agent has to go to the Academy before entering the field.

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suntumarchive · 3 years

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A commission for @belly-flu ! Thank you so much~!

Fandom/s: Hercules Character/s: Phil (Whumpee), Hercules (Caretaker) Kink/s: Upset stomach, vertigo, sneezing, burping, emeto

Plot: During their daily training, Hercules notices that Phil is acting odd... it’s pretty obvious that he’s not doing well, and yet, he tries too hard to hide it. But it affects the quality of his lesson...

___

"A bit higher! You won’t make it like this!", Phil demanded. His voice had this natural, harsh undertone to it that could make a person instantly feel subordinate – perfectly fitting for his authoritarian personality, in Hercules’ opinion. He respected him quite a lot, and tried to follow his orders as best as he could, despite his occasional clumsiness. Other people probably wouldn't take Phil half as seriously, due to his tiny size and strangely cute appearance, but that’s a thought the young man barely allowed himself to have.

"Like this?", Hercules asked, and raised his bow and arrow a few centimeters. As he got ready to shoot, his eyes focused on the target; A bright red apple, high up in a tree. He was merely waiting for Phil's cue. But a few seconds passed, and there was still no response…

"… Like this??", he repeated a little louder.

"... Oh! Yes, yes...", Phil finally replied and cleared his throat. For some reason, he sounded kind of… hoarse.

Shoot! The arrow went flying, and... missed the apple by far. It didn’t even get close. Oops. This arrow will probably not be found again anytime soon...

Disappointed and confused, Hercules straightened his back and looked over to Phil with a frown. Had he even been watching him? He just stood there, quietly, with his eyes closed and propped up against a tree trunk. Soft sighs and grunts came out of his mouth, and Hercules could have sworn he saw sweat glistening on his forehead. The demigod didn't really know what to do or say, but it was obvious to him that something must be wrong with him. Phil simply didn't look well at all.

"Are you... uhm.. alright?", he asked, sounding concerned as he walked up closer to Phil.

"Uh, what…?", Phil seemed startled for a second, and quickly tried to regain his composure.

"… Well done! You get better with every time you try!", he frantically looked back and forth, as if he’d passed out a few seconds and didn't know what date or time it was. Now Hercules frowned again, rubbing the back of his head a bit awkwardly.

"You seem a bit… weak today", he dared to comment.

"Weak? Me!?", Phil’s eyes flared up, their usual intensity coming back for a moment.

"I'm fine! I’ve never felt better in my-", before he could even finish his sentence, he suddenly began to squint. The itch from his sore throat had begun to wander upwards, into his nose, and he grimaced as he inhaled forcefully. The sensation was all too familiar-

HERRKCHOO!!

An intense sneeze exploded out of him - and was quickly followed by a second one. Even though they both sounded dangerously wet, nothing seemed to come down… In fact, his sinuses seemed to be even more clogged than before, making breathing awfully difficult.

"Bless you, um… Do you need to sit down?", Hercules asked, noticeably worried, which only caused Phil to blush from how awkward he felt.

"No! We have to continue with your training! Don't you get lazy now!", he was quick to reply, and cleared his throat once again in an attempt to pull himself together. Fine, if he said so… Hercules went back in his position, but there was still that expression of concern on his face. Phil stood up straight and tried his best to act as if everything were alright, but with every passing second, he looked sicker and sicker to the young man...

It was getting increasingly harder for the Satyr to keep control over his body, let alone concentrate on his surroundings. He almost seemed like a newborn foal, stumbling around as if none of his four legs wanted to carry him any longer. And yet, he attempted to force himself to carry on regardless, since he'd feel way too embarrassed to admit how much he was struggling. He was the authority figure here after all, the teacher with a task of high importance, and being seen as 'weak', as Hercules had called it before… that hurt his ego.

"Alright", Hercules gave in, even though he raised an eyebrow at his stumbling.

"Can you show me how to aim it the right way?"

"What do you mean…”, there was an intense ringing in Phil’s head… it suddenly felt like he was being lifted off the ground…

"Uh… the bow? The arrow?", Hercules tilted his head.

"Ohhh, right…! Of course, you mean the arrow!", Phil nervously laughed it off.

"Of course, I know what you're talking about!"

What unusual behavior for him… He swallowed down the wave of nausea that had begun to build in his middle. The embarrassment was written all over his face, but poor Phil tried to hide it with a strict expression.

"Give them to me! I’ll show you how it’s done!", he demanded and pulled the bow and remaining two arrows out of Hercules' hands. The goat man got into the right position, despite his shaky legs, and took another deep breath to try and keep his body from crumbling.

"I'll show you one last time. Now watch carefully!", Phil drew the bow violently, almost threatening to snatch the arrow in half. His anger was honestly directed towards himself, or rather his own state… when he wasn’t acting strangely, he came across as especially rude. Hercules couldn't help but feel flabbergasted due to Phils odd behavior. Just how was he supposed to react?

"Look, you hold it in this angle. Never too low. You have to stretch it far enough. Alright?"

Hercules nodded quickly, but all he could focus on was how much his hands were trembling.

"Good! All you need to do now is to let go and don't move a muscle!!", however, he did not shoot the arrow, instead he handed the bow back to Hercules.

"Try again", Phil prompted, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He started to feel nauseous all over again... Probably because he’d moved too quickly, and because the world around him began to spin. For a short moment, he held his breath in order to prevent the nausea from building any further, but sadly it didn’t seem to help. Right as the demigod was about to shoot, a loud, painful sounding gurgle erupted from Phil’s chubby belly, making him gasp audibly… Especially as an airy belch forced its way up his throat, Hercules’ attention was on him again. No… he simply couldn’t focus on his training when he knew that Phil was so sick.

“Maybe we should-“

“No…! Mrrp… Stop-”, Phil’s voice broke without him realizing it… his hind legs suddenly gave in, and he sank down, plopping onto the ground. White and purple dots were dancing in front of his eyes, and he began to whimper as his stomach seemingly moved in circles inside him… at least that’s what it felt like…

“Phil-“, Hercules widened his eyes in shock, and he bent down to reach for his arm.

“Don’t touch me!!”, the Satyr hissed, roughly slapping his hand away, but in all honesty, he feared he could throw up all over him… that would be awful. That would be the only way for this situation to get any more humiliating than it already was. The confused demigod could only stand there and watch as Phil pressed his eyes shut, trying so hard to somehow calm his agitated insides, and stop his head from spinning…

As much as Phil had hoped for the pain and dizziness to slowly fade away, instead, more and more sour tasting saliva began to pool underneath his tongue. The fear of what was about to happen made him whimper again… and before he knew what was happening to him, it began with a wet belch, and suddenly, he expelled the contents of his stomach right in front of him. There went his breakfast… it didn’t taste half as delicious coming back up. Hercules stumbled backwards in shock, and simply watched… it was a horrifying and concerning sight to see his teacher throw up like this.

“Phil…!”, he gasped… No, this time he wouldn’t let him turn him away. The young man approached him, and slowly knelt down next to him so he could rub his back.

“Kid… get away from me…”, even though the Satyr said that, he sounded like he wanted the opposite really… he couldn’t keep his façade up a second longer. Now it was all over anyway… What he’d wanted to avoid so badly had already happened. Hercules had seen him vomit. And worst of all, he was trying to comfort him, too…!

“Shh… hey, it’s alright…! I also get sick sometimes…”, Hercules smiled a bit shyly.

“Do you want to know what helps me a lot then?”

“What…”

The demigod gently reached over to Phil’s big belly… because he was such a tiny creature, his student could easily rub both his back and his middle at once. Surprised, Phil shifted a little, his small goat body quivering… His face was so red, he almost looked like a squished tomato.

“H-hey…”

Hercules hushed him softly… for now, it might be better if Phil simply didn’t speak at all. It was unusual to see him so… quiet. So stiff in Hercules’ embrace. The warmth of the man’s touch felt very nice to the creature, but it was also incredibly awkward and strange… even more so when it coaxed several small, wet belches out of him. He feared he could have to throw up again, but it seemed like there was simply nothing left inside… which was good, in a way. But admittedly, Phil was pretty upset about letting his breakfast go to waste. No matter how much he’d fought it, there was just no way he could keep his body going a second longer…

“… Sorry about that…”

“Please don’t apologize… You can’t control how you feel…”

Phil turned his head away… His nose was starting to itch again, and he felt a sneeze coming up. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why now? Why in front of Hercules? He was so frustrated… after another deafeningly loud sneeze that made his ears pop, he began to whine. It almost looked like tears shot into his eyes for a moment.

“Maybe you should lie down”, Hercules suggested, with a soft tone in his voice.

“It’s no use to push yourself even more…”

“And what about you?”, Phil mumbled. He was slurring his words, it was like his tongue didn’t want to listen to him anymore. A thick tear rolled down his cheek – no, he wasn’t crying! It’s from the itch in his nose.

“Who’s gonna teach you how to shoot that arrow?”

“I can practice alone”, Hercules insisted.

“The things you already taught me! Revision is good, isn’t it? And if I learn it on my own, it’ll stick better.”

“I suppose…”

Finally, Phil allowed Hercules to help him back onto his feet. Even though his knees were still shaky, he somehow managed to stand on his own again now. Admittedly, getting everything out of his system made him feel a little bit better, but still – far from well enough to continue teaching. The Satyr sniffled, trying to get some air into his nose… but his sinuses were still so clogged, all it did was make his throat and ears tickle. As much as it annoyed him, he had to continue breathing through his mouth, which only further agitated his sore throat.

“Come on, take it easy for today… I’ll get you to bed”, Hercules offered.

“NO. … No, thanks. I’m fine on my own.”

There was his pride again… Hercules was honestly pretty happy to see it, for once. That could only mean he’d be fine, right?

“If you’d like any tea or-“

“I’m sick, not a baby”, Phil hissed, and almost stumbled over his own feet. He hated that Hercules had to catch him again… His hooves felt like they were too big for his body somehow. Maybe still from the dizziness… he really had to get some sleep…

“… Thanks.”

The demigod chuckled softly as he watched him stagger off… well, hopefully he’d feel better by tomorrow. He already knew it would get pretty lonely without his nagging. Once again, Hercules took the bow and arrow – and shot. This time, he managed to hit the apple.

“Phil! I did it!”, he grinned proudly.

“Do you want the apple??”

“HURK” – well, that loud gagging noise was enough of a response for Hercules…

#writing #commis

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