#but it felt more like he said that because wanda made herself the main character in everyone's lives | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

trashywormeateroffics · 2 years ago

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The right universe.

Summary: After Y/N's life turns upside down, she's full of grief. Somehow, one day, she manages to travel to the MCU, where she meets her favorite characters, including a certain god who seems willing to establish a friendship with her. Suddenly she's enwrapped in this new world, where everything she loved in a screen is now reality. How will she react? Will she be able to deal with the ghosts that haunt her? Or will she let them consume her? Will she be open to accept the love she is offered? Read to find out!

Read this on AO3!

Category: F/M.

Relationships: Loki/reader.

Characters: Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes, Vision (Marvel), Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Stephen Strange, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Bruce Banner, Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, other minor appearances of other characters but these are the main ones, Pepper Potts, Loki (Marvel).

Additional tags: Loki/reader - Freeform, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluffyfest, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Pining a lot because we love to suffer, Domestic Avengers, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is a parental figure, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Everyone is a good bro, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, y/n, After Infinity War but no one died and the purple bitch was defeated, Missions, Y/N is a universe traveller, Grief, Therapy, Protective Loki (Marvel), Loki in love.

MASTERLIST OF THE STORY

Chapter 24: Jealousy.

“Hey!” Y/N said, hugging Sarah.

“Hey stranger! How have you been?” The blonde asked, sitting down on a kitchen stool. She had invited her to the compound since almost everyone else was busy and it would be empty.

“I've been fine, after the accident it took me a while to get back to normal life but I'm slowly getting to it now.” She hadn't told her the whole truth, or the truth at all; she told her that she was robbed and shot because she refused to give her things to the robber. Sarah couldn't visit her since she was in a work trip. “And you?”

“Oh I'm fine, you know, the same as always.” She said, dismissing the question with a movement of her hand.

They talked for a while about life and settled on the couch to watch some episodes of a TV show that Sarah insisted was great. It was, Y/N had realized. After a few episodes, Loki entered the kitchen, unaware of the two women there.

“Loki,” Y/N said and he turned around with a small smile on his face, but hid it when he saw the other woman. “This is Sarah, my friend!”

“Hello,” he said with a nod.

“Hi,” the blonde woman said, smirking.

“I just came to grab some water, I will leave you two now.” He said, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

“You can stay if you want.” Sarah said and Y/N looked at her with a questioning look.

“No, thank you. I would not want to intrude.” He said and left. When he did, Y/N's friend looked at her with wide eyes.

“God he's hot!” She fanned herself with her hand. “How can you keep your hands off of him?” Y/N stopped herself from frowning and gave a small, fake chuckle.

“Well, it would be weird to�� do that? Especially since I'm just Mr. Stark's assistant.” She said, in a questioning tone and her friend let out a laugh.

“Do you know if he's seeing anyone?”

“Oh! I don't know about that, we are not friends… But I did hear from Thor that he met a woman, it sounded like it was serious, but I don't know much more than that.”

“Ugh!” Sarah groaned. “Why are the hottest men always taken?”

“I wouldn't know…” Her friend sighed.

“Whatever, their loss.” That made Y/N purse her lips.

“Yeah, their loss.” She said, smiling a bit uncomfortably at her.

After a while of more talking and watching TV, Sarah left. Y/N was cleaning up when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She turned around and grinned at Loki.

“Hey,”

“Hello darling,” he said, nuzzling his head in her neck and kissing her there, while she sighed and tangled her hands in his hair. He groaned in pleasure and she giggled.

“Do you like that?” Y/N asked, knowingly. He lifted his head and smirked.

“I do,” he said, leaning in and giving her a breathtaking kiss. “So,” he started, smirking close to her face, “I met a woman you heard?” She looked like a deer caught in headlights, but then she frowned.

“Hey! You were listening?”

“I couldn't help myself. I was about to leave when I heard your friend talk about me.”

“Oh and of course you heard someone talking about you and just had to listen.”

“Well darling, what can I say? I do enjoy hearing people drool for me.” She rolled her eyes and hit his chest playfully. “So…”

“So…”

“Was it jealousy that I heard in your voice or do I need to go to the doctor for my hearing?”

“Oh the second, definitely.” He bit his lip and she sighed. “And what if it was jealousy?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Well, that would be ridiculous because I only have eyes for you, my beautiful mortal.” She pursed her lips, but couldn't stop the grin appearing on her face.

“You are terrible.” She said as he began kissing down her jaw.

“I've been called worse.” he responded, smirking against her neck. He was terrible, but God, did she love him.

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

“Argh! Stop killing me!” Y/N groaned and Loki furrowed his brows in confusion. Entering the living area he saw her and the spider child immersed in some game on the television. “Peter I swear to god I… will call you Itsy Bitsy in front of MJ!” She said, smiling maliciously.

“You wouldn't dare!” He said, dramatically.

“Try me.”

“What on earth are you going on about?” Loki finally called their attention and they both said “Playing Fortnite!” in unison.

“Forth night?” Y/N snorted and he frowned.

“No Lokes, Fort-nite.”

“And what is this Fort-nite that has you two yelling like tortured chickens?”

“Have you ever heard chickens getting tortured Mr. Loki?” The spider child asked, horrified.

“No child, it is a saying.” He looked relieved beyond imagination.

Y/N scooted closer to Peter and patted the spot next to her on the couch.

“Come sit Lokie Dokie, we'll teach you how to play…” She said, smiling deviously as the kid tried to contain his laughter. He had caught them kissing a few days ago, so now he was officially the only one who knew about their situation. She couldn't call it a relationship yet because they hadn't discussed that and he still hadn't told her that he loved her; so, for now, she was settling on situation.

“I wouldn't want to ruin the fun by winning all the time.” He said, sitting down with a smug look on his face. He wasn't completely sure he could win, yet he said it, deciding he would figure out a way. He was the God of Mischief after all, he knew how to cheat.

“I wouldn't rush to say anything Lokes, the game is hard and you are not particularly great with technology.” She said and he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Please, I am a god. Some stupid midgardian game will not defeat me. Give me the controller thing.” Y/N raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips as she did what he said. He took the controller, how difficult could a midgardian game be?

�� ------------------------------

“This is outrageous! I was not in the line of fire, that man cheated!” Apparently, it was very difficult. Loki put down the controller on the coffee table, barely containing his anger.

“Everywhere is the line of fire…” Y/N told him, amused and a bit worried about him.

“That makes no sense at all.” He said, throwing daggers with his eyes at the TV. She laughed and caressed his hair.

“You are adorable when you are wrong.” He looked at her, frowning but biting his lip in order to not smile.

“I am not adorable.”

“Yes you are…” She said and started to slowly approach him with a devilish grin.

“Y/N…” He said in fear of what she was going to do.

Throwing herself at him she started to tickle his torso; to her surprise he was very ticklish indeed.

“Y/N!” He said between laughs. “Stohohop, stop!”

“Admit you're adorable and I will.” She said, smirking at him while continuing to tickle him.

“I refuse!”

“Fine.” She shrugged and went for his sides. He almost convulsed.

“I yield!”

“How do you yield Your Highness?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“I. Am. Adorable!” He said and she immediately stopped. As he was catching his breath, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. “You little minx.”

“Now you are hot.” She said, half jokingly. He smirked.

“Do you like it when I call you a little minx?” He said, getting closer to her face and fanning her with his breath. She smirked and got more close, but still their lips were not touching.

“Do you like it when I call you baby?” He took in a sharp breath.

“Guys…” Peter said. They had completely forgotten about him. They both looked his way. Y/N smiled sheepishly at him while Loki looked amused at his expression.

“Sorry.”

“It's okay,” the kid said, turning red from embarrassment. Being the only who knew was cool but those two could not keep their hands off each other.

~taglist~ @mischief2sarawr @midnights-ramblings @mealoncholy-hill

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mcufox123 · 4 years ago

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Would you maybe? I don't know

Modern AU WandaxFemReader

Summary: Reader is confused by liking Wanda.

Warnings: PG-13, some cursing

A/N: This is a fun little piece. The group is mentioned but the main focus is the reader. Any suggestions please let me know!

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS!

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You are a nurse working in Boston. You had moved here right after graduating college and besides working you spend a lot of time with your very close-knit group of friends. The group started with you and Nat who moved into your apartments. A couple weeks after moving in you were at a bar and Nat tried to hit on Steve. He turned out to already have a boyfriend, however, named Bucky. Soon enough it was the 4 of you. Steve was a veteran and worked with other veterans and soon introduced everyone to Sam who brought along his friend from college Tony. Carol and Wanda were next to join they happened to be your next-door neighbors. Carol came over to complain about the noise you and your friends were making, and Wanda came over with apology cookies, that is how your friendship started. Tony also brought along Bruce who was friends with Thor. Clint, Nat’s childhood friend also moved to Boston for his job who also brought his roommate T’Challa. Your group expanded over the course of a year. And now 3 years in you all spent a majority of your time at your apartment.

Nat and Bruce had just started a new relationship and it was nauseating to you. They were often cuddled on the couch when you came home and were definitely not quiet in the bedroom. Living there started to interfere with your sleep schedule. One day while Nat and Bruce were out Wanda and Carol came over to hangout.

“Maybe you should just tell them to shut up?” Carol told you as Wanda and her listened to you whine about your predicament.

“But Nat is finally happy. It took her so long to be this happy, I'm not going to whine to her about it just yet.” You said trying to compartmentalize your thoughts in your head.

“That’s so kind of you Y/N, but what about you? What makes you happy?” Wanda asked in a sweet tone. You and Wanda had grown closer as Nat was preoccupied. You both spent many nights cooking dinner together and cuddling up on the couch watching tv shows, most the time falling asleep on each other. You had a soft spot for her. You considered it to be more than a friendship, but you had never been with a girl to make it more than a thought.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right I’ll talk to her, thanks guys.” Just then Nat comes through the door with a very drunk Bruce.

“Hey guys! Let me just put him to bed then I’m all in for the girl’s night!” Nat said while escorting Bruce to her bedroom.

You opened up another bottle of wine and as soon as she came out, she pulled up a stool to contribute to the conversation. The 4 of you gossiped about almost everyone in the group, company excluded. You talked about Tony’s new girlfriend Pepper and what she started bringing to the group, which was mostly keeping Tony in check. You talked about T’Challa and his advancements in his job and hoping that he didn’t move because of it. You talked about when you think Clint was going to propose to his long-term girlfriend Laura.

“Alright I'm making a group chat without Clint and Laura to take a pool for when he’ll pop the question. $1 buy in.” You sent the text to all of your friends and soon your phone was blowing up.

“Ya know, I don’t know why but you sending that text reminded me of this one time in college when I was at a party and we were playing truth or dare, and I got dared to send a text to our professor saying that I believed that I was a giraffe. He recommended that I seek help.” Carol said wiping her eyes as she laughed. You all stared at her in confusion. The comment being from out of nowhere.

“That’s really a great story, you should tell everyone at movie night.” Nat said sarcastically.

“Hey now, let’s all just get along. Carol that was a random story, Nat she should tell everyone she is a giraffe when she wants.” Wanda let out in an almost serious tone.

“Yeah,” you said backing up Wanda. The night went on a little longer with now 4 empty bottles of wine and a very tipsy group of friends.

“Hey, I have an idea, let’s play truth or dare.” Nat said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Now why would we do that?” you ask very annoyed. You guys weren’t in college anymore and you had nightmares about the game. You knew the idea was only in her head because of the giraffe story.

“Because it’s fun,” Carol chimed in.

“Thank you, Carol. Now let’s start I’ll go first. Carol truth or dare?” Nat said.

“Dare!”

“I dare you to go flash our neighbors.” Nat said. Carol was not even hesitant, she got up walked to the window and lifted her shirt to flash the outside world, before walking back like she had just accomplished a huge task. You rolled your eyes as the game continued.

The game continued with a few more rounds all being very stupid tasks. Nat was currently in the room with Bruce giving him a lap dance with the door closed. She walked out with her hair a mess.

“Ok my turn. Y/N truth or dare?” She asked fixing herself back on her seat. You were very tipsy by this point.

“Dare!” you said very enthusiastically. You were not prepared for the task you were asked to do.

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.” You froze. The obvious choice was Wanda, but you couldn’t do that. Could you? You for sure weren’t going to kiss Nat because that’s weird, and you always secretly disliked Carol so that was out of the question. The only logical choice was Wanda. You hesitantly leaned over to give Wanda a kiss on the cheek. As you pulled away you saw her cheeks were as red as tomatoes causing you to also start to blush.

“Boo that wasn’t even a kiss.” Nat groaned on.

“Yes, it was. You never specified what kind of kiss it had to be!” you counteracted Nat.

“I thought you would just assume it was a kiss kiss like on the lips like an actual kiss.” She argued back. Carol and Wanda just kept looking at the two of you unsure of what was happening.

“You want a kiss kiss? I will give you a kiss kiss.” You turned to Wanda and put your lips on hers with all of the liquid courage you had built up. You heard her gasp at the action but soon was reciprocating the kiss. Her lips were so soft and perfect, and you felt electrical shocks go throughout your body at the interaction. Your lips moved in perfect sync with each other. You only pulled away when you heard Carol wolf whistle at the two of you.

You felt embarrassed as your cheeks started to turn red. Wanda just looked at you stunned by the action. There was an awkward silence before you spoke up. “Wanda I’m sorry that was, that was,” you couldn’t find the right words. “Ya know what it’s pretty late and I’m getting sleepy I’m going to head to bed.” You said not looking at anyone in particular. You stood up and walked to your room.

“Y/N wait.” You heard Wanda say behind you, you just shut the door behind you and locked the door crawling into bed.

The next morning you woke up and walked to the kitchen to get breakfast. Nat was already out there, and you saw waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, toast and eggs all spread out on the table. You ignored all of that and simply walked to the coffee pot.

“I made you breakfast, also there is freshly squeezed orange juice, with no pulp.” She said pouring you a glass. You didn’t even acknowledge her. Instead grabbed the box of cheerios from the cabinet with your coffee and heading back to your room. Before you could close the door Nat put her foot in the door.

“Look, Y/N, I'm sorry about last night I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just I thought you both liked each other, and I figured I’d give you a little nudge ya know? Be a good friend?” She said while you continued to walk to your bed and get your laptop out to watch Netflix.

“Ok well you were wrong. I don’t know what to tell you.” You said trying to convince yourself more. In all honesty you haven’t stopped thinking about the kiss. You had thought about Wanda’s lips from the moment they left yours. And the way that she kissed you back. That had to mean something right? Like maybe she felt the same way for you. But you weren’t sure you liked girls. But maybe you did? Maybe Wanda could be your girlfriend. That was weird for you to even think about having a girlfriend. You were so confused.

Nat saw your internal turmoil by look on your face. “What’s wrong Y/N?” she asked concern clear on her face.

“I never liked a girl before.” You said staring at your hands. You couldn’t even look her in the eye. You were so scared saying it out loud. But it was true and now you felt like you did like a girl. A very specific girl, who had beautiful reddish hair and green eyes that pierced your soul. She had the best laugh where her nose would scrunch up and she always tried to make everyone feel better.

“Y/N, its ok. You are allowed to like girls, especially ones who make you happy. You’re allowed to like Wanda as more than a friend. A friend would not kiss another friend on a dare the way you kissed Wanda last night.” She said rubbing your back.

“I know I just, she’s just, and I'm just.” You tried to explain failing to find the words.

“Talk to her, let her know. She’s a pretty understanding person and I think she could help you.” Nat said before giving your arm one last squeeze. “Also come eat my breakfast, I cooked too much food.” She said while getting up and moving to the door.

“Can you bring it to me please? I'm super comfy right now.” You asked with pleading eyes.

“Yeah sure.” She said while walking out of the door to get you breakfast.

You spent a lot of time that day writing in your journal and watching tv, the perfect lazy day. You didn’t see much of your friends that week. You took on more shifts at the hospital and stayed in on call rooms to avoid thinking about your friend who you couldn’t keep out of your head. You thought if you just stayed away, it would all go away and be ok.

You came home one day exhausted and just went right to bed. When you woke up you opened your door to go to the kitchen, but you stopped as your eyes landed on a specific pair of green eyes staring back at you. You were frozen in your spot. The person you had tried to get out of your head was now sitting on the couch in your house. “Want to watch a movie?” She asked like nothing had happened. Like everything that happened that one night didn’t happen. It frustrated you that she was so calm about all of this while you were losing sleep. You continued to walk to the kitchen to get food before answering.

“Sure, you want any snacks?” you asked her.

“Yes please! Can I have some popcorn?” you started to get the popcorn out and put it in the microwave and then went to get out a bowl to put it in. There was a silence that came again and stayed there. The only sound was the kernels popping in the microwave. You looked at your hands while you could feel Wanda staring at you.

When the popcorn was finished you dumped the bag in the bowl and walked over to give it to Wanda who was sitting on the couch. You would usually sit on the same couch as her but tonight decided to opt for the love seat. You didn’t even look at her, but Wanda had a frown at your choice of seats. You kept your eyes trained on the tv waiting for the movie to start but it never did.

“What is it Y/N? Why are you in such a mood?” she asked.

“I’m not in a mood. Why do you say that?” you asked her, knowing it was stupid because you were in a mood and she could read you better than anyone, even Nat.

“Yes, you are. If you weren’t in a mood, I would’ve seen you this week. If you weren’t in a mood, you would tell me all about work and how crazy it is, and we wouldn’t even get to start the movie. If you weren’t in a mood, you would be sitting on this couch with me probably with your feet draped over my legs. Why aren’t you sitting with me?” She was aggravated you could tell but you didn’t know how to answer that.

“I don’t know.” You said which only made her get up and start pacing in frustration.

“God, Y/N, you’re so frustrating just say it we all know why you’re in a mood.” She said now standing directly in front of you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It seems like you know why I am in a mood more than I do so tell me why.” You said to her not having the courage for the words that needed to be said. You quickly regretted saying that. She climbed onto your lap, so her eyes were directly in front of yours. She put her arms around your shoulders so there was no way to escape. You suddenly couldn’t focus on anything other than how close your faces were.

“You do know Y/N. It’s because there is something here, with you and me. That kiss that we shared was incredible and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, or you. So why are you pushing me away.” You couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I never kissed a girl before, and I just didn’t know I could feel this way about someone until we kissed. And I just wasn’t sure if it was ok for you.” You said giving her the basic train of your thoughts.

“You weren’t sure if it was ok for me? Did I not communicate that enough in the kiss or do I have to show you how ok it was for me?” she asked. You sat there frozen as she leaned in and put her lips on yours again not even waiting for permission. You tensed up at first, but after a second you were quick to reciprocate how right this felt for you too. Her hands were playing with your hair and yours on instinct went to her hips trying to pull her closer.

She pulled away when you did that. “I thought you weren’t sure Y/N? Do we have to keep figuring this out?” she asked while pretending to make a confused face.

“Yeah, I think we can keep figuring this out.” You said while leaning up to kiss her again. She pulled back again though.

“Are you sure you’re, ok? We don’t have to do anything. I’m ok with taking this slow.” She said looking at you, reading your face for any signs of being uncomfortable.

“I just really want to kiss you again.” This time you spoke the truth.

“Then kiss me.” You didn’t even hesitate leaning in again, placing your lips on hers. It quickly got heated as she pushed you back further onto the couch. You didn’t try to fight back, you only continued to move your hands all over her body, exploring places you never would dare before.

Her lips left yours and started to leave a trail going lower down your face till she started sucking on your neck. You let out a moan and felt her smile against your skin. All of your earlier thoughts, questioning if this was right were out the window now. With her in your arms everything felt right.

She came back to your lips where your tongues were soon dancing together. You didn’t even hear Nat and Bruce come in the door. You only pulled away when you heard a cabinet close in the kitchen. You looked over your shoulder to see them both staring at you and Wanda.

“Don’t stop on our account we’re just grabbing some snacks for the show.” Nat said smugly. Wanda buried her face in your neck, clearly embarrassed, as were you. She climbed off of you and walked into the kitchen.

“Ha ha very funny Nat.” Wanda said while walking over to grab some water. You sat up on the couch eyes trained on the girl with reddish hair. Her hair was disheveled from the heated make out session, and her lips were already swollen a little.

“It’s so good to finally see my roomie after a week of being MIA.” She said while smiling at you.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” You said as you rolled your eyes. You finally got up from the couch to sit on a stool in the kitchen. You weren’t sure what would happen next. Wanda came over however and picked the seat right next to you scooting it closer, so she was basically on top of you, which you weren’t complaining about. It had only been a few minutes, but you already missed her being in such close proximity to you.

The four of you stayed up chatting before Bruce and Nat decided to go to bed, claiming they had a long day tomorrow. As they walked out you turned to Wanda smiling.

“Hi,” you said with a smile spreading across your lips.

“Hi,” she said back just as smiley, reaching her arms around your shoulders as she had done earlier that night.

“Would you maybe, I don’t know, mind if I kissed you again?” you said shyly. She didn’t even answer before bringing her lips to your again. The action that was so foreign before was now becoming addicting. The kiss this time was short however before she pulled away.

“Would you maybe, I don’t know, want to be my girlfriend? If not, I totally understand if it’s too fast for you.” You just brought your lips to hers as your answer. You pulled away and simply took her hand in yours before guiding her to your room. You made out but that was it nothing went any further. You just laid in the comfort of each other’s arms for the rest of the night.

In the morning you woke up with a smile on your face and an amazing girl in your arms. You got up to go get some coffee for the two of you in the kitchen. You walked out to see none other than Nat and this time Steve too.

“Hey there Y/N! Do anything fun last night?” Steve asked with a smile on his face. Nat had already told him.

“You’re dead Romanoff.” You said while pouring a cup of coffee.

“Oh, come on Y/N! I can’t help it if you guys are adorable together. Steve, you should’ve seen them last night they were like connected at the hip the entire night.”

“I can’t wait till the rest of the group finds out. Bucky, Sam, and Tony, all owe me $15.” Steve said nonchalantly.

“What do you mean they owe you money?” you asked confused by the statement.

“Well, you guys were already inseparable, and I figured it was a matter of time before you both got together so I made a pool of when it would happen. I said before the end of the month which happened, so I win.” He said it like it was obvious.

“Yeah, you guys couldn’t get together like a week earlier?” Nat asked annoyed.

“Hey now, no more betting on my love life, ok? Or else next time I want in.” you said cheekily.

“Well now, there is a pool when the two of you will sleep together, you want in on that?” Steve said.

“They almost did last night believe me.” Nat jumped in before you could argue. Just then Wanda came out of your room with a yawn. Steve and Nat just whipped their heads to look at you with ‘oh shit’ eyes.

Wanda came over and wrapped her arms around your waist before reaching up to give you a kiss. You melted into her before she pulled away “Morning cutie.” She said before taking the coffee out of you hand and going to sit next to Steve who was still shocked that Wanda just exited your room.

“You do not mess around. Damn Y/N” Nat said with a mischievous grin.

“Ok Nat, it took you what like an hour before you jumped Bruce’s bones.” You counteracted. That shut her up real fast as Wanda looked around clearly confused by the conversation she had missed. After that night you and Wanda were the next couple in the group. Everyone supported you guys and soon enough you got your own place together to watch movies together.

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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

https://wiypt-writes.tumblr.com/post/644486634874847232/stark-spangled-banner

Ch58: You Have To Go Through The Worst, To Get To The Best.

Intro: In the aftermath of the battle, Katie grieves for Tony as the world comes to terms with the fact that people they lost five years ago have reappeared.

Warnings: “Language!”

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: This is it! We head into the last part and as such, a brand new banner again from @angrybirdcr. Only a few chapters left.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 57

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Sorry for your loss.

Four words that Katie was already sick of hearing. Sorry. What did people have to be sorry for? It wasn’t like it was their fault. Still, she acknowledged the sympathy that came her way, completely automatically, almost emotionlessly. She barely registered the fact she had spoken to Fury and Hill, two people who had been dead five years ago, she didn’t have the energy to wish she could knock Ross’ head off his shoulders and had no idea how long she had walked what was left of the compound, maybe an hour or so? Who cared anyway? She simply did what people asked her to do to help out, whilst Steve hurried around organising everyone and barking orders.

Nevertheless, when the crowds of Emergency Services, Armed Forces and Support Staff that had flooded the Compound left, she suddenly felt alone and found herself in their compound apartment, which had miraculously survived bar from a smashed window in the living area. She glanced around before she headed to the bedroom and slumped heavily on the large bed, staring at the wall.

Just staring.

It was quiet, but her mind was anything but. Her brain was screaming all sorts of stuff at her, a jumble of words and sounds and visions, but she couldn’t really understand any of it.

She simply felt broken.

“Katie?”

A voice broke through her reverie and she looked up to see Steve in the doorway.

“Hey.” She gave him a soft smile. “Pepper just spoke to Happy, the kids are fine. All three are fast asleep. He’s going to wake them in a few hours and bring them back.” “No.” Katie shook her head. “I want him to bring them now.” “Honey its almost two am.” He said, and Katie frowned. Okay, so she’d been walking around a little longer than she thought, then. “Let them sleep. We can go, get cleaned up and…” “Plan how we tell them their Uncle is dead.” She swallowed, gazing back down at her hands.

Steve took a shaky breath. He felt beyond guilty. Guilty that he got to go home to his kids because of the fact that Tony didn’t. Steeling himself, he made his way to the bed, sat down next to his wife and wrapped his arm around her as she lay her head on his shoulder.

“What’s everyone doing?” She asked softly.

“Rhodey is in with Ross and President Ellis…” “Ellis is here?” She looked at him, frowning.

Steve nodded. “Rhodey’s giving him a brief on what’s happened. They’re gonna need to put an announcement out so…”

“Suppose it was probably a shock everyone re-appearing again.” She reasoned, quietly. “What about everyone else?”

“Well Lang, Parker and Bruce already left.” Steve explained as his hand gently rubbed up and down her arm. “And there’s a chopper on the way to take Pepper home and a couple more following to take the rest of us to the Tower. The roads are completely jammed, apparently there’s impromptu parties taking place all over. Might be a while before we can get back through to Brooklyn.” The thought of partying seemed alien to Katie, but as she thought about it, it wasn’t surprising. People would be greeting lost loved ones, celebrating the fact the world has returned to normal.

For them anyway.

“Clint will want to go home.” Katie nodded. “He’ll be desperate to see Laura and the kids.” “We’ve got a jet on the way for him so he can go as soon as possible.” Steve soothed, dropping a kiss to her head.

If ever Katie was grateful for having a husband with Military organisational skills it was now. He’d literally thought of everything. She closed her eyes and nuzzled into him even more, seeking out comfort like a child, before Steve reached around and pulled her onto his lap, holding her close to him, as they sat in silence.

****

“I guess this is strange for you too, huh?” Steve said as they made their way into the Tower. “Yeah you could say that.” Sam shrugged, “One minute everyone was in Wakanda and then the next minute it was just us, and the jungle had changed.” He paused, scratching his head. “Then that Strange dude turns up and tells us it’s been five years and we needed to go fight one last time.”

“Has it really been that long?” Bucky asked and Steve nodded. “So now you’re older than me?” He grinned. Steve chuckled as Katie gave a small smile. “Shut up.”

They made their way into the elevator and FRIDAY greeted them, somewhat forlornly, as Katie asked for their floor. The elevator fell silent as it scooted upwards, pinging open. Katie stepped out first, followed by Wanda then the men.

“So, where do you want-“Bucky began but he stopped dead causing Sam to bump into him.

“What the hell, Frosty?” he spluttered, frowning as he followed Bucky’s eye line, his own eyes growing wide as he saw what Bucky was staring at. Wanda was also gazing, her mouth open, and Steve immediately knew what they were looking at- the large framed photo on the wall in the living room.

Even though their home was in Brooklyn this was still very much their apartment. Katie sometimes stayed if she had a big meeting, or on occasions they would crash here when they grabbed a rare night out in Manhattan. And it was for that reason that the photos in the apartment had been updated over the past five years as their lives had moved on. The wall their friends were gazing at contained two prints. The first was one taken by Katie at the hospital when Jamie was hours old, the same photo also adorned the wall in the lounge at home and it showed Steve asleep in the chair by her hospital bed, hair unkempt, shirt crumbled, stubble on his chin as his baby son was clutched to his chest as they both slept. He remembered the moment like it was yesterday, one snapshot moment out of God knows how many, all of which the three people stood in front of him had missed.

The second was from last year, and showed Emmy with Alex as they sat on the sofa at home, both grinning at the camera.

“You…” Sam gasped as Wanda and Bucky turned to them, mouth hanging open.

Steve nodded, “Yeh, err, did no one tell you?” He asked, rubbing his neck.

“No.” Bucky breathed.

“But then it never really cropped up in conversation, you know, on account of us being in the middle of a battle and all.” Sam said, a little sarcastically and Wanda thumped his arm before she turned to Katie.

“How old?” She asked softly.

“Emily is sixteen next week.” Katie said, looking at the photos smiling softly. “We adopted her after the snap, it’s a long story.”

She then looked at Steve who smiled, knowing she was allowing him the task of revealing their boy’s name to two of the men he was named after.

“And Jamie’s three.” He turned to look at Bucky and Sam.

“Jamie?” Bucky asked thickly.

“Or to give him his full name James Anthony Samuel.”

Bucky and Sam exchanged a look, the pair of them floundering for words.

“Cap,” Sam swallowed, his eyes misting over. “Wow, I’m so happy for you guys.” “I can’t wait to meet them.” Wanda beamed.

“You might regret saying that.” Steve chuckled. “Emmy’s a sass bag and Jamie can be a handful. He’s only three but he’s stubborn, opinionated- don’t even say it.” He pointed at Bucky who had opened his mouth to comment, a grin spreading across his handsome face.

“They’re awesome.” Katie spoke softly as her eyes moved round the apartment and fell on a photo of her and Tony taken at her wedding. Suddenly she couldn’t be there anymore. Excusing herself she headed into their bedroom where she flopped onto the bed, now feeling utterly overwhelmed, still struggling to make head or tail of her emotions. She should have been celebrating like everyone else in the streets was doing. Their friends and trillions of other people were saved, but she couldn’t because again, just like the other week when they had grieved for Natasha, there was one person who wasn’t coming back.

Her brother.

Taking a deep breath, she shed her boots before she stood up and peeled off her cat suit before she made her way straight into the en-suite.

She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand, an attempt to sooth the pain she now felt in every inch of her body. But whilst some of it was bruising from the multiple blows she had taken, some of it was coming from inside. The pain of losing her brother was physical, and hard. Closing her eyes she lay her head against the tiles, allowing the water to beat down on her, lost in her memories. “I got full marks on my English essay Tone!” Her 10 year old self grinned up at him as he leaned against the car, looking as effortlessly cool as ever.

“Get you, you little brainbox!” He ruffled her hair. “That’s awesome, so awesome in fact I think we need to stop for pizza and a shit load of ice cream on the way home. Sound good?” “You’re the best!” She beamed as he took her pink back-pack off her and dropped it into the trunk as she climbed into the passenger seat of his BWM.

“Oh no, you are not going out wearing that!” Tony stod up as she walked into the living room of the house. Sixteen year old Katie rolled her eyes.

“Tone its boiling hot outside, what you want me to wear? A pair of jeans and a fucking coat?” “Anything but that!” He scoffed, looking at the rather short denim skirt. “Young Lady, I can see what you had for breakfast!”

“Oh bite me, Tony.” She shot back, hearing the guffaw that Rhodey gave out from the sofa before she shot out of the front door to greet her boyfriend who had just pulled up the drive.

She was eighteen…, cruising along the cliff in Malibu, laughing, her hands on the steering wheel of her convertible bug, Tony in the passenger seat sipping an iced tea as the pair of them sang as loudly as they could to Drops of Jupiter- their song.

“Mr Rock and Roll over there, listen to you!” She laughed as the song finished and it changed to AC/DC ‘Thunder’.

“If you ever tell anyone about my love of Train I will kill you.” Tony looked at her over his sunglasses and she snorted, grinning.

“I’m so telling Pepper.”

“Err you know I can still pull my funding.” He glared “You can kiss goodbye to going to Oxford…”

And speaking of Oxford, at twenty-one, she was there, accepting her first class honours in English Literature and Mythology. As she smiled for the camera, she could see Tony stood up in the middle of the hall, whistling before he punched the air. “That’s my girl!” He yelled “Katie Maria Stark. That’s my girl! No I won’t sit down…what did you just say?” And he began arguing with the person behind him.

At twenty-six she was crying, tears of happiness as the ramp on the aircraft carrier opened to reveal her brother. His hair was longer, he looked thinner but he was alive. He was barely at the bottom before she flung herself at him, not caring that his arm was a sling.

“Hey Kiddo.” He said softly as she buried her face into his neck.

“You fucking asshole!” She sobbed, “Next time, you ride with Rhodey, you got that?”

“Trust me, there will be no next time.” He chuckled as she pulled back. “Afghanistan is a shit hole.”

A year later she was crying again, sobbing even, as Tony sat with his arms around her, gently shushing her as she sat up in her bed. “How could he do that to me Tony?” She sniffed, her tears dampening her brother’s t-shirt as he rubbed her back, laying his head against hers. “I thought he loved me…but…” “He isn’t worth your tears, Kiddo.” He sighed “Grant Ward doesn’t deserve them, or you. No one ever will, you got that? No one will ever be good enough for you.”

And then she was walking up the aisle towards her future husband, her arm linked tightly around Tony’s. He pressed a kiss to her head.

“Remember, just because I’m giving you away doesn’t mean I won’t kick his ass if he ever hurts you.” Tony mumbled and she snorted, turning to look at him. “I love you to the stars and back, Katie, remember that…”

Like she could ever forget. Tony hadn’t been to everyone’s taste, hell, at times he hadn’t be hers, and they’d been estranged for two years. But Katie had never, not once, stopped loving the man who had brought her up as his own. Her brother and father all rolled into one.

She finished washing her hair and stepped out of the shower, the tears still not arriving. She began to wonder if there was something wrong with her. She’d cried more when Natasha died. She pulled on a towel robe that was hanging behind the door and began to dry her hair, squeezing the water out of the long strands.

“I remember when you used to do that for me.” She grinned, watching Tony as he sat with Morgan between his legs on the lounger round the pool at her Brooklyn home, rubbing the little girl’s wet hair ferociously with a pink beach towel, making the three year old cackle with laughter. I remember…but Morgan won’t.

And then the cry ripped from her chest, like someone had reached down her throat and pulled it from the very depths of her heart.

***** Steve made sure the guys were settled in a spare apartment a few floors down, the three of them opting to share, none of them particularly wanting to be alone. Making his way back into theirs, he headed straight to the bedroom and heard Katie turn off the water to the shower. With a groan he stripped off the top half of his uniform, dropping the grubby item to the bed. His eyes were drawn to the silver star in the middle, and he ran his fingers over it, the material torn in places having seen better days, much like him.

With a deep breath he reached to pull off his compression shirt, but before he got chance, he heard a noise from the bathroom, a primal, raw, broken scream that chilled his every bone. Quick as flash he crossed the room and pushed open the door to the en-suite and found his wife slumped on her knees on the floor, screaming and crying uncontrollably.

“He’s gone! He’s gone, he’s gone!” Steve had known this was coming and it broke his heart that he could do nothing to help, nothing to take away the utter desperation and pain and anger his wife was feeling. Without hesitation he dropped to his knees and she turned to him, fisting her hands around his top as he pulled her close, one arm round her back, the other in her hair.

“Let it out,” his voice was croaky as he rocked her, gently stroking her hair as his cheek pressed against the top of her head, “I got you, sweetheart, I got you.” How long they stayed there for, with Katie screaming and crying over the soft sounds of his soothing, Steve had no idea, but eventually her sobs became sniffles as she regained some form of composure.

“Steve,” she managed to stutter as she pulled back to look at him, “Tony’s gone, he’s gone, why? Why did he have to do that? There had to be some other way!” “Oh, Doll.” Steve’s voice cracked, his own heart ached with grief and sympathy and love as he dropped a kiss to her forehead, pulling her onto his lap as he sat back on the floor, making no attempts to move her. He buried his face into her hair, his own sobs catching in his throat.

“All my life Tony has been there.” She whispered gently as kissed her head. “Even when we were apart those years I knew that if I needed him, he would be there…but now…he’s gone and I don’t know what to do.”

“You do what you always do.” Steve whispered softly as he pulled back, cupping her face in his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. “You get up, you dust yourself off and you act like the amazing, strong, beautiful woman you are. My wife, my baby momma.”

“I don’t know if I can. Katie spluttered.

“Yes, you can. You’re the strongest person I know.” He implored her, sniffing a little.

“I don’t feel strong.”

“You won’t.” He shook his head. “Not yet. But I’m here. Okay? And we’ll do it together.”

Katie looked at him for a moment before she moved once more to bury her face into his t-shirt again, simply breathed him in. His warmth and familiar smell, even if he wasn’t as fresh as he could be after the exertion of battle, was a comfort, a balm to her broken soul.

Tony was gone, she knew that, but she wasn’t on her own. She’d never be on her own as long as she had Steve.

****

“Don’t be sad Momma.” Jamie whispered, as Katie’s tears tickled down her cheeks, her son on her lap. TO her right, Emmy sat on her father’s, despite her age meaning she was normally way past that stage, as she cried into his chest, his arms gently cradling her. “Uncle Nee isn’t on his own.” “What do you mean, baby?” Katie asked, sniffing as he played with a strand of her hair.

He looked at her with his baby blue eyes and shrugged, as if the answer was obvious. “Because he’s with Auntie Nat-Nat.”

“Yeah,” Katie stuttered, a soft sob escaping her. “You’re right. But I’m still sad, but you don’t need to be worried about that okay?” Jamie nodded, before he blinked and frowned. “I can kiss it better, like you kiss my ouches better.”

Katie smiled as he leaned up, connecting his lips to hers with a loud smacking noise.

“That’s it, you just made it all okay.” She smiled, wiping her eyes.

“When can we go home?” Emmy asked, sitting up slightly, her voice croaky.

“Soon, I promise.” Steve looked at her. “I think we’ll stay here for tonight, your mom and I both need a rest.”

Emmy nodded “I expect kicking alien butt for hours takes it out of you.” Steve snorted. “A little.” “You did it though. Everyone came back.” “Yeah, and on that note,” Katie picked up, “we have some people we’d like you to meet. That’s if you’re feeling up to it.” “Is it them? Bucky, Sam and Wanda?” Emmy asked, her wet brown eyes opening wide.

“Yeah.” Steve smiled. “And, if it’s ok with you, we thought we could all have breakfast together.”

“Pancakes?” Jamie asked hopefully and Katie nodded, dropping a kiss to his head.

“Pancakes” She affirmed.

“Now?”

“Do you ever think about anything but this?” Katie chuckled, prodding his tummy. He pondered for a second.

“Legos.” he said, nodding. “I think about my legos sometime.”

Emmy snorted and Steve let out a little laugh “Pancakes and legos eh, son?” he reached out and ruffled Jamie’s hair. “What more could a three year old want?”

****

Manhattan was in utter chaos and going out in public was the last thing Steve or Katie wanted for fear of being mobbed. However, the kitchens in the tower were well stocked and after sending Emmy to forage what she could, it was easy for Katie to whip up a batch of batter and throw some bacon into a pan.

She set Emmy to work chopping some fruit, and never one to miss out, she stood Jamie on a chair in front of her and gently guided his hand as he held the whisk to stir the batter. Katie was literally grabbing the ladle to drop the first load into the pan, when the door to the apartment opened and Steve’s voice carried in to the kitchen.

“Hey guys?” Jamie squealed in excitement and Katie moved so he could get down. He shot out of the kitchen, barrelling into the lounge where he skidded to a halt by his dad and gazed up at the three strange adults in front of him.

The first thing that hit Bucky was just how like Steve the little boy was. Stocky, bright blue eyes and a shock of dark blonde hair.

“He looks like you.” He smiled, nodding to Steve as Katie stepped into the room with Emmy and smiled.

“Jamie, Emmy, this is Bucky, Sam and Wanda.” Steve introduced them all, as Emmy raised her hand shyly in greeting.

Meanwhile, Jamie simply gazed up at Bucky, his attention focussed directly on his metal arm and Bucky suddenly began to worry that it would scare him. He was attempting to move it out of view by standing side on, until Jamie stepped forward with all his usual boldness and pointed.

“Is that metal?” “Jamie.” Steve spoke, his tone soft. He couldn’t scald his son for being curious, but at the same time he had seen the apprehension in Bucky’s eyes. Apprehension that had now turned to amusement.

“Yeah it is.” Bucky chuckled, crouching down so he was eye level with his namesake. He held his left hand up, wiggling the fingers. “Wanna touch it?” Jamie reached out and placed his palm against Bucky’s prosthetic and grinned, “Cool,” before he looked up at Steve. “Can I have one?”

“Absolutely not.” Steve shook his head with a grin.

“You think that’s cool you should see my wings.” Sam crouched down next to Bucky, smiling at Jamie.

“You have wings?” The little boy’s eyes grew wide “I want…”

“No!”

“Fine I’ll just ask Santa.” Jamie shruggged and Sam let out a loud laugh.

“I like this kid!” he grinned, standing up.

“You can have him.” Steve winked, as Bucky stood up straight and grinned. “Saves us sending him to The Children’s Prison.” “Morgan told me there’s no such place.” Jamie looked at his Dad and Steve let out a sigh. The threat of the Child Prison was their biggest bargaining chip when he was being naughty. Especially as the naughty step wasn’t an option, because the first (and last) time they tried that they caught him climbing up the staircase and sliding down the bannister.

“I told you titch, it does.” Emmy gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. “I lived there before mom and dad adopted me. And all they give you to eat all day is slugs and slime…” Steve shared a look with Bucky and let out a loud laugh.

“Don’t.” Bucky shook his head with a grin.

“You gave Becca nightmares for days with that story!” Steve laughed as he recalled Bucky telling his sister about a hole in the ground where bad kids went. “She wouldn’t go near a manhole for months!”

“I can still feel the blow round the ears my Pa gave me.” Bucky automatically reached up to rub at the back of his head. The well natured chatter continued as they made their way into the kitchen. Steve went to brew the coffee as Sam, Wanda and Bucky took seats round the table with the kids. Occasionally he caught the odd snippet of their chat as Jamie told Bucky about his toys at home, informed Sam all about his friend at day-care, whilst Emmy was busy talking to Wanda about school and what she wanted to do in the future. But all the time Steve had one eye on his wife as she stood, silently, cooking enough pancakes to feed a small army.

Which, to be fair, was probably what they would need with two super soldiers and a hungry three year old to feed.

Moving over towards her, he slipped his arms around her waist and dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“You ok?” He asked, before he sighed “Sorry, stupid question.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “No it’s not stupid, I know what you meant. And honestly, no. I’m not. Not really. But I will be, in time. I hope.”

Steve dropped another kiss to her cheek and winced as a loud “GET A ROOM!” sounded across the kitchen and he turned to glare at his son. Bucky and Sam exchanged a gleeful look as Steve raised his hand and pointed at Emmy accusingly. “That was not me!” She scoffed, indignantly “It was Bucky that told him to say it.” “If this is the impression you have on my kids after all of fifteen minutes, James Buchanan Barnes, then I’m going to have to seriously consider letting you near them again.” Katie shook her head as she dropped the plate of pancakes into the middle of the table.

“Why did you just call him James?” Jamie asked, frowning

“Because my name is James too.” Bucky answered for Katie.

“No, it’s Bucky.”

“He only gets called James when he’s been bad, bit like you, pal.” Steve chuckled, placing Jamie’s plate of food in front of him. “Now eat that, and then you can show Buck your legos.”

“My legos are here?” Jamie said, grinning.

“Yeah they’re in your bag, we brought them from the compound.” Steve answered, dropping a kiss to his son’s head.

“What the hell is a Lego?” Bucky asked, his face contorted in confusion. The room feel silent as all eyes turned to the man who glanced around, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “What?” ****

Rhodey called later that morning to give them a heads up that the President would be addressing the nation later that afternoon, and to also inform Katie that they were talking about honouring both Tony and Natasha posthumously. Katie had merely snorted, not entirely sure what Tony would have said about any of that, until Rhodey made her laugh about the last time he had received an honour, getting stabbed with the pin by the Senator awarding it to him, Senator Stern.

Who had turned out to be HYDRA.

True to his word, just as he had done five years ago, President Ellis’ address rang out across the nation at precisely three that afternoon, on every TV and Radio channel there was.

“I know there is much speculation surrounding the events of the last 24 hours, and it is for that reason I find myself addressing you all once more, with regards to the Decimation. Only this time I am happy to greet you all with much better news. Thanks to the brave actions of the Avengers and countless others who fought in a ferocious battle Upstate, the Vanished have been returned to us in the same state in which they left.

But it isn’t without cost.

Unfortunately, I have the very sad job of confirming to you all that the rumours are true. Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff both lost their lives in the mission to bring everyone back. My sincere condolences and thoughts are with the rest of the Avengers, in particular the Rogers and Stark families, and I’m sure I speak for the entire world when I say we will be forever indebted to the two fallen heroes for their brave sacrifices which ensured that friends and families across the globe could be reunited.”

Katie glanced down at her hands as she took a deep breath, the tears falling into her lap as Steve’s arm curled round her shoulder, sniffing a little as his own eyes were once again misted over.

“I know you will all have many questions, some of you will be at a loss as to what to do, and unfortunately I don’t have all the answers, so it is for that reason, if I may, I’d like to address those who have been returned to us.

Over the past five years the world has become a very different place to the one you knew. People lost entire families, friends, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends. We had to rebuild, make sense of living without you. So I ask you , please be patient with us whilst we try once more to make sense of events, only this time they are a lot happier as you have all been returned to us. Don’t take it too personally if we seem a little, well, astounded.”

Ellis paused, wiping his eyes as he smiled, licking his lips.

“Thank you all, God Bless America, and God Bless the Avengers.”

****

That night fireworks exploded across the skies all over the country. The current occupants of the tower sat on the roof watching the symphony of colours and explosions as it light up the Manhattan sky-line, Jamie opting to sit on Bucky’s knee instead of his father’s, because of course Bucky was now his favourite person on the planet.

But Steve didn’t mind, well, not too much anyway.

The next few days passed them by in a bit of a blur. They moved back to the house in Brooklyn. Sam and Bucky came with them. However, surprisingly to Steve (but not to Katie) Wanda opted to head to Clint’s after the archer called and offered her a room. Steve’s time was divided between speaking to the UN, various people in the senate and government alongside Rhodey as they started to make plans to help those people who had returned because reversing the snap had raised a whole cacophony of different problems, just as Tony had predicted it would.

Some of the vanished had come back to find their wives or husbands had re-married. Others found themselves with no-one left as they’d passed away. Some found themselves homeless as new occupants had moved into their apartments which had been left vacant. Two of those people were Peter Parker and his Aunt May, who were now residing in the Tower until Katie could find them somewhere permanent.

And then there were the kids who had been adopted, suddenly finding themselves with two sets of parents.

Katie, on the other hand, had no time or energy for anything other than planning Tony’s funeral with Pepper, and a service of sorts for Natasha with Clint. Natasha’s was to take place first, a small ceremony at Clint’s farm where they would be planting a red maple tree in her honour. Tony’s, however, was slightly more tricky.

Her brother had, at one point, led a very public lifestyle and naturally (even if unfairly) he was attracting the most public interest. They’d been approached by President Ellis, who had asked if they would be open to a full, state public funeral. Katie had been horrified at first, until Pepper had snorted and reminded her that the Old Tony would have loved the attention and fuss.

But New Tony wouldn’t.

Which was why, in the end, they compromised and chose to celebrate the two sides to Tony’s huge personality.

For the Genius, Billionaire, Play-Boy, Philanthropist they would hold a service at St Patrick’s Cathedral and for the husband, father, brother, friend they would then hold a more intimate wake at the lake house, where his ashes would be scattered eventually.

It was draining, emotionally and physically, so it was no surprise to Steve that Katie was constantly tired and a little irritable and the Solider felt the harsh side of her tongue on more than one occasion. But he never bit back, he knew how she was feeling. He’d had to do it with his Ma. Instead he listened to her bounce ideas off him, helped with the organisation where he could, and simply comforted her, holding her close whilst she cried when she needed to.

A week post the return of the Vanished, people seemed to have reached a half-way point, so to speak, between what they had been like before the Snap and what they had become post. But what was noticeable to all of them was that they were persistently mobbed in the street, people wanting to thank them constantly.

Jamie found the whole thing hilarious, waving to people as he walked with his Father one morning to the play-ground. Steve, however, after half an hour had returned home because he couldn’t stand it anymore.

“It’s mad.” He shook his head with a sigh, flopping onto the sofa next to her. “I mean…”

“It’ll die down.” Katie yawned. “Just gonna take a while. People still don’t know what to do. Hell, half the time I don’t know what to do.” She took a deep breath, the back of her hand pressing to her mouth as a queasy feeling washed over her for the umpteenth time that day. “You still feeling crappy?” Steve asked, watching as Jamie sat on the rug with his trucks.

“A little.”

“You thrown up again?” “No.” She shook her head “I don’t feel sick anymore just a little funny, drained almost. I don’t think it’s anything serious. Probably just the stress of all the organising and stuff.”

But as she said the words something in her mind clicked and she sat bolt upright, Steve giving her a curious look.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bruce’s Snap.” She whispered. “The one where he brought everyone back.”

“What about it?”

“What if it brought everyone back?” “Well we know it did…” Steve frowned, not following her line of thought.

“No I mean,” Katie took his hand and placed it on her stomach, “everyone.”

It took Steve a second to cotton on, but when he did he blinked, looking into his wife’s eyes, a faint buzzing ringing in his ears.

“Shit.” He spluttered out.

“Language.” Jamie reprimanded him almost immediately, but both parents ignored him.

“I didn’t,” Steve swallowed, “I mean, I didn’t even consider that a possibility. Do you think it has?”

Katie took a deep breath. “I dunno, I mean the first snap took it away…”

They stayed still for a moment, simply looking at each other, both thinking the same. If one snap had taken their baby, the second snap could quite as easily have brought it back.

“I think I need to go to the store.” Katie muttered.

**** Less than an hour later husband and wife were stood in the bathroom looking down. Down at four different tests. Four different tests that all told them the same thing.

“I can’t believe it.” Steve whispered, his arms wrapping around his wife from behind as he stared down at the test in her hand.

“Me neither.” She whispered, turning to face him, tears in her eyes.

“I’m gonna be a daddy, again.” His hands fell to her hips, blue eyes shining as she gave him a smile, the tears falling down her face.

“And I’m gonna be fat again.” She spluttered, a watery laugh. There was a pause, before Steve’s face cracked into a huge grin and he pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms round his neck and he hugged her close, the pair of them laughing through their tears.

“I like you fat with my kid.” Steve pulled away, wiping the tears that were trickling down her face with his thumbs. She smiled and returned the gesture, brushing the back of her hand over his wet cheeks.

“I love you. So fucking much.” He whispered softly as he dropped a kiss to her lips.

“I love you too.” Her voice croaked before Steve pulled her close once more, his huge arms holding her tightly to him, as he breathed her in, his face pressing into her hair.

And for the first time in a week, Katie’s heart felt a little less broken.

**** Chapter 59

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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aliypop · 3 years ago

Text

And So It Starts

Wordcount: 2,063

Warning: ANGST and I guess Spoilers maybe

Authors notes : I wanted to do a big story to introduce my new character Astrid Sodotirr that I made for Loki and I really really hope you guys like her.

"I'll tell you jail is no fun." One of the women around the table remarked, "Agnes, you've been to jail?" the familiar-looking redhead said, sitting across from the lady who was now known as Agnes. "Once, in Monopoly." she laughed as they soon looked at their new "neighbor." She had a look of confusion on her face, almost as if she didn't belong. "Ah dear, what was your name again?" Agnes asked, watching as the curly brunette shook from her trance. "Astrid, Astrid Sodotirr." she looked at them both. The redhead had a look of discomfort while Agnes on, the other hand, was thrilled,

" So Scandinavian." she smirked, "Interesting, unlike my husband, Ralph." she then turned, "Isn't that right Wanda,"

"Uh yes... Sodotirr like the goddess of chaos?" she asked as Astrid looked at her, her usual garments replaced with 80's activewear. "Yes, my mom was huge into Mythology ." she laughed, finding that her voice didn't even sound like her own. It felt like a fantasy world, something that not even her magic could comprehend.

"My mother was just heavy into drinking." Agnes joked,

"Well, girls, I should go get going. Ralph isn't going to rub lotion on himself..." She winked, leaving. Wanda and Astrid stood in the living room waiting for her obnoxious neighbor to walk away before orbs of teal and red appeared from their hands. "Why are you here..." Wanda growled, "We all saw you die..." Astrid dodged the red beam,

"Do that again, Maximoff, and you'll join Vision and your brother!" she threw out a blast, "Then tell me how you broke in..." her eyes glowing red,

"I DON'T KNO-" she stopped talking as the sound of footsteps marched up the driveway of the 80s household Astrid. began taking the green stone out of her sweatband,

"I think they're here for you ..." Astrid whispered as one of them took the stone out of her hand, "Hey!"

"Variant found..." one of the minutemen said as two others grabbed onto her,

"On behalf of the Time-Variant Authority, I here by arrest you for crimes against the sacred timeline."

"She's the one making false realties!" Astrid snarled at the witch,

"Hands up, you're coming with us..."

"Glady..." Astrid smirked, lifting her hands striking two of the minutemen. As she ran up the block, Astrid was falling slowly to the ground in slow motion.

"She stole the Time sto-" Wanda tried to finish.

"Reset the timeline..." the soldier said as they pushed the young woman through a portal, "Hey, I'm a princess, careful how you man handle me!" she growled, looking at the grossly colored orange walls. Taking her to what seemed like a receptionist desk as a young blonde man sat chipper and happy logging her into their system, "What species..." he asked,

"Asgardian... and she brought this with her..." the minuteman threw the stone on the desk.

"Oh great, another paperweight."

"Mobius, just get rid of it..." she sighed, cranking the lever as she threw Astrid inside the elevators,

"When Loki finds out about this... he... he won't be... WOAH!" a robotic arm touched her vibrant pink leotard, "I'm not that easy." she grumbled as the machine told her to hold still, lasering off the tacky 80's clothing leaving her in absolutely nothing as a trapped door opened,

Astrid was standing in front of a stack of papers dressed in a tan jumpsuit with TVA on it, "Please verify this is everything you've ever said." a voice said, startling her.

"What in Odin's missing eye is this," she said, another piece added to the pile.

"Please verify this is everything you've ever said." he handed her a pin as she began signing away. Astrid began to think that maybe marrying Thor would have been a safer option than whatever this was. As another trap door opened, Astrid stood in front of a metal detector.

"Please confirm to your knowledge that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature, and do possess what many cultures would call a soul." Astrid looked down towards the voice as her brows furrowed from the question, "Do people not know they're robots..." she asked, walking through as the machine took her picture, "Because if they didn't know..."

"They'd melt, now take your temporal aurora and walk through the door..." he sighed, watching as burst through as if she owned the place. Brown walls and bright lights paved her path while two-minute men watched and gestured to the take-a-ticket sign. "You have got to be kidding me," she mumbled as she took a ticket, walking through the guided path. Astrid watched as other prisoners went through, while others erased.

"Next case!" Astrid walked through the door's benches full of people, " Sodotirr, Variant A1020, AKA Astrid Sodotirr, charged with sequence violation 7-20-80." the judge said, walking to the stand. Astrid grumbled in aggravation,

" And who would I have the honor of these charges being blessed upon me by? "

"The timekeepers..." The judge said.

"Oh, the ones from the annoying clock lady..." she nodded as a few guards snickered,

"How do you plead..."

"I've only ever pleaded to one man... on occasion a few women..." she winked, "Now if you excuse me, I really should be go-" she snapped her fingers as nothing happened, "I should be going..." she mumbled, "Hold on..."

"If you're trying to use your powers, they don't work here now. However, I find you guilty, and perhaps pruning you would do just fine..." The judge hit her mallet until one of the minutemen whispered in her ear.

"Pruned... I don't like the sound of that."

"It has come to my concern that... Ravonna will be your consoler. Take the variant away..." the judge sighed as Astrid breathed, the once minuteman guiding her towards the elevator.

"I'm Ravonna Renslayer, now a Time agent of the TVA." she smiled at the variant.

"How long have you been here?"

"Well, you know what they say. Time passes differently here in the TVA." she nodded, leading her out the elevator and around the halls of the main building, "How cute, you know you should've done your research before deciding to go after me..." Astrid said, turning her head as her curls bounced along. As the doors opened, the two sat in front of a tiny TV, "Trust me. We've been doing our research since you were deemed crowned and named princess and goddess." She laughed, putting the flash drive in as she started her file.

"You know you're surprisingly good at complying..."

"Happens when you get told to all your life..." she mumbled. Astrid looked up at the screen memories played, some that were pleasant and some there were, "That one's a bit risky... If I were you, I'd skip it." she laughed, watching as the scene of a harvest festival on Asgard played.

There stood Sif, Thor, and Loki. Astrid, who was taste testing ale, had been a little tipsy. She found herself clinging onto Loki. She appeared to be younger, no more than 16 at the time. Dressed in gold to "compliment": Thor, her only view was the Prince of Asgard. "What would your mother say if she found you so full..." Loki winked. Tilting her chin up, "She'd say absolutely nothing because you are not to tell her..." Astrid gave him a burst of laughter sweeter than all the honey of Asgard,

"Oh but, I might..." he leaned in closer to her, their foreheads touching, "Then I'll tell Odin you took me away from Thor..." she whispered, stealing a kiss from him.

"You cheeky Minx.." he laughed.

"So why Loki..." Ravonna asked,

"Maybe I am..." she responded to the memory, clearing her throat, "Well, we understood each other..." she folded her hands together. "We were different yet so similar." her heart sinking in her chest as the last memories of Loki passed through, "Would you say your childhoods were the same..." Ravonna asked, not even savoring her answer. Before she could finish, there stood the memory of her mother locking her in a tower.

"You are courageous yet dumb... you are a disappointment I wish I never birthed..." Amidala laughed, yanking at the chain around her neck. "Purposeless child.."

"I was born with a purpose!" she shouted at the screen, "One you'd never see coming, one of courage and rage..." a tear falling on her cheek, Ravonna made a side note in her notepad, " You know for someone who's such a threat you don't act like one..."

Astrid turned to face her, her hands gripping on the table, "Just a sad little girl who thinks she knows what she's doing... when her purpose was to die..."

"Everyone dies..."

"Yes, but not how you did..."

"First Wanda, now you." She laughed, "What is this about me, the all-mighty Astrid of Vanaheim dying," Astrid asked, "Perhaps, I'll leave you with what happened before you screwed up the timeline..." she smirked, walking out the spacious holding cell.

"This is against the Norns for a mere puny human to tell me how I died." her back facing the screen as she heard an all so familiar scene.

"The rightful king of the Ottenheim God of mischief do hereby pledge to you my undying fidelity..."

"Loki, wait!" Astrid ran towards Loki, his dagger not yet lodging into Thanos. The two looked over as Thanos only laughed, "Undying, you should choose your words carefully..." he laughed, throwing Astrid against a jagged rock watching as he snapped Loki's neck sat Thor, who had to watch the two people in his life waste away in front of him.

"Don't... leave... m..."

END OF FILE

"Some courage ... " Ravonna laughed, "It got you killed... why would you do that..."

"I wanted affection... I wanted attention. I wanted to be perfect..." she sobbed in the corner,

"That's pathetically sad..." Ravonna then got an idea, "But if you work with us, you can have those things. " she stuck her hand out, watching as the goddess looked up at her like a scared child looking for hope.

"Alright, we've got a variant..." Mobius sighed, "Astrid is this one right... Astrid?" he questioned. Astrid ran over as she saw a Loki variant tapping him on the shoulder. He took out his dagger, placing it near her neck,

"How attractive..." she rolled her eyes,

"You insolent worm, I should feed you to the fish who feed upon Odin..."

"Nice try..." she used her powers to immobilize him. Being a Time-Variant hunter had been slowly running her down. After all, she figured out how to play their game then attack,

But it was getting hard when they were looking for Loki and herself. "Take him away..." she sighed, walking into the office back to Casey's receptionist office as her eyes laid upon a suspicious blue box.

"Hey, you know what this is..."

"Tesseract... and It's very dangerous and..." she picked him up by his shoulders, "By the Norns, if you do not tell me who was wielding this, you will wish to whatever God you pray to that they have mercy over you..." she threatened him.

"He's an Asgardian..." Casey gulped.

"Where did he go..."

"Behind that door, I think..." Astrid tried to pull the lever, "You're not authorized!" he shouted, watching as she went to the elevator, only taking her back to her cell. Her ears pressed against the door as she heard Mobius talking as he usually did, but this time a voice she had recognized too well.

"Where are you taking me... by the grace of, Astrid you'll."

"You really don't like talking much, do you, little fella," Mobius sighed, shoving him in the cell. What felt like hours was only minutes when Mobius felt like he had gotten nowhere at all. As Mobius left the cell, so did Astrid. Following the footsteps of and the smell of Asgard's finest colognes, she found herself at Casey’s desk: the draw open with scattered infinity stones showing just how powerful the TVA was struck a bit of fear in the Goddesses' heart.

"Where was he..."

"I don't know... But, uh, what's a fish?" Astrid laughed, "I'll tell you later." she laughed, walking back as a hand reached out and pulled her into a cell.

Lips crashing on top of hers bodies pressed together.

" Astrid, my love..."

"Loki..." she asked.

#loki laufeyson #loki series #loki x oc #loki fandom #loki fanfic #Astrid sodotirr loki oc #new series maybe #tell me if you like it #please tell me

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dearest-bucky · 4 years ago

Text

Like real people do (One Shot)

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky catches Y/n reading fanfiction about him.

Words: 2.7K

Warnings: None, language?

A/n: I don’t really like this one but since I’m reposting everything 🤷‍♀️ Here ya go, I hope you like it.

Originally posted: July 14, 2020

"What you got there Y/n?"

She knew she was lucky. Having him so near, being able to see every little freckle and scar that littered his skin, being able to feel the heat radiating from his body, it wasn't an everyday occurrence, despite the fact they lived under the same roof.

One of her hands was resting on her lap, fingers itching to move towards him and touch his smooth skin, while the other pressed lightly the gauze on the slash near his collarbone. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she inspected the cut, deciding the number of stitches it needed and her cold breath hit his skin repeatedly, causing goosebumps to erupt on his chest.

"I'm sorry.." her voice was small as she apologized for hurting him after a small wince escaped his parted lips, but he only shook his head, silently encouraging her to continue.

She picked her head up, chancing a look on his face and only then she realized how small the distance between them was and how close they really were to each other. Her lips tilted slightly upwards in a somewhat small smile and a blush crept up her cheeks, another wave of heat emanating from him hitting her and she averted her eyes again, focusing once more on his stab wound.

Another moment passed before she felt his left hand on her cheek, cupping it softly and a chilled shiver ran down her spine from the cool touch, despite the otherwise hot temperature around them. Her breath hitched in her throat as he titled her head up with his hand, their eyes meeting for a short second, before he leaned down ever so slowly, giving her the chance to back away if she wanted.

"Doll..." His voice was but a breath against her trembling lips and her eyes closed with a light flutter, letting herself get lost in his touch. His lips brushed against hers ever so slightly, as if teasing and she couldn't wait until he decided to put an end to their misery and lock their lips in an actual kiss.

The anticipation was scorching her skin and her nerves, and he seemed to read her mind and decide to put her out of her misery because the next second -

With a startle she dropped the spoon she had been previously holding in the cereal bowl, causing the milk to splatter on the counter. She quickly locked her phone and placed in on the counter face down and moved to clean the mess she made with her breakfast.

"Bucky you scared me!" She chastised him, trying to hide the waver in her voice but failing miserably. Not daring to look at him she moved around the kitchen, cleaning the counter and disposing the rest of her breakfast in the sink, her appetite already lost.

Her cheeks darkened with a blush and a wave of heat hit her forcefully, this time from the embarrassment.

She didn't see his face but she could've sworn he was smirking behind her back, enjoying her flustered state too much, just like he always did. She could feel him move around the kitchen too, apparently to fix his own breakfast before one of the bar stools scraped the floor lightly, letting her know he was sitting in her previous spot.

She heard him pour the milk on his own bowl of cereal and she decided now was her best opportunity to leave the kitchen, however Bucky seemed to have other plans for her because just as she made her way towards the door, he called behind her back.

"You never told me what were you reading in your phone." She stopped right in her tracks at the sound of his voice, and she blushed harder than before, if it was even possible at this point. Her back was facing him, so it was easier to avoid his look, also easier to lie to him as she spoke in a rush, right before leaving the kitchen.

"Nothing that concerns you, Barnes."

With rushed steps she walked to her bedroom, seeking a little comfort and privacy away from a certain prying pair of blue eyes. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and let out a long breath, finally able to do so, away from Bucky.

She could practically hear the teasing tone in his voice as he asked her that question and there was no doubt in her mind that he already knew what she had been reading.

She was fucked! Royally so!

If only she'd been a little more careful, but instead she had let herself get lost in the words on her screen and got caught by the man she was reading about.

It had started innocently enough. She had been reading fanfiction about her favorite Star Wars characters a few months ago when she stumbled across a few writings about the Avengers and since then it had been down the rabbit hole for her.

She enjoyed reading about her team mates, usually platonic pairings, she liked the way many talented people wrote and described her friends in a way she never thought possible, they were mostly accurate too.

However her real downfall had been when she found fanfiction about her favorite teammate, Bucky. She had tens of stories saved on her bookmarks, ready to indulge herself in fantasies of him every night before bed.

She would be lying if she said she didn't have feelings for the broody super soldier, but after some light flirting with him and not getting the reaction she had hoped, she'd given up, turning to the imaginary world of fanfiction.

Now their real life relationship remained strictly platonic, despite Y/n's ever present feelings.

She was eating her breakfast alone when a notification popped up on her phone, informing her one of her favorite writers had posted a new story, and being so eager to read, she didn't think about what would happen if anyone found out about her guilty pleasure.

The fact that Bucky was the one to 'catch her in the act' was the worst that could happen and now as she tried to ease her nerves in the privacy of her room, the only thing she could think of was how great it'd be if she could just vanish.

A few days later and Y/n had been avoiding Bucky like the plague, too embarrassed to even face him again. This of course hadn't gone unnoticed neither by the man himself, nor by the rest of the team, that kept sending questioning glances in her direction every time she walked to the common areas.

Once again, she found herself in the confines of her room, this time gathering the courage to walk down to the common areas for the movie night with the team. If it was for her, she'd be glad to stay in for the night, but Tony had insisted it was mandatory for everyone to be there tonight, claiming the team needed a bonding night together after being sent in too many missions the last month.

With another exhaling breath, she walked to the TV room, seeing everyone was already there. Steve, Tony and Natasha were sitting on the big couch, Vision and Wanda on one of the love seats, cuddling under the same blanket, Sam was on the chair alone and Bucky...

Her breath hitched when she saw Bucky sitting alone on the other love seat, the space next to him the only one empty.

"Finally Y/n, we were waiting for you to join us so we can start the movie." Sam was the first to speak up, seemingly a little impatient to start the movie.

"I'm here, I'm here. Now get up from my spot." She replied, trying to maintain a light tone in her voice, but Sam only scrunched his face in annoyance, shaking his head 'no' in response.

"There's no way in hell I'm sitting next to Tin Man, he takes too much space." Then with a nonchalant shrug directed her next to Bucky. "You're perfect for that spot though."

She let out a small, silent sigh, not happy at all with Sam, but she didn't say anything anymore, moving to seat on the love seat next to Bucky. Not wanting to raise any more suspicions (as if there weren't enough already) she sat next to him wordlessly, trying to avoid looking directly at him as much as possible.

The movie started and everyone remained silent, except for Sam who'd comment on the characters' actions every now and then.

She'd been sitting stiffly next to Bucky for about twenty minutes, a slight chill caused from the AC running down her spine. Bucky, ever the attentive one, stretched the blanket that was over his lap to her too, helping her get under the warmth of the soft material.

She just gave him a brief look, a small smile forming on her lips as a sign of gratitude and turned her head towards the large screen again.

On the coffee table there were lots of snacks and drinks, but she paid them no mind as she sat next to Bucky, still unable to relax fully despite the softness and warmth of the blanket that was covering her.

As the movie progressed she started to relax a little more with each passing minute. Her phone laid on her lap, above the blanket, the black screen staring up at her. It was the peak of the plot, where the main character finally learned the truth about her family, when she heard the ping of her phone and felt its short vibration on her thigh.

She picked it up in her hand, paying no mind to what it might be, and unlocked it, swiping to see the notification in the notification bar.

Her eyes locked on the screen as she read "writingavengers posted Love Actually, a Bucky Barnes x reader story". Her breath hitched at the words as she tried to play it cool, locking her phone again, but the next thing she did was a bigger mistake. She glanced towards Bucky, only to find him already looking at her intently, an undecipherable look in his face.

She swallowed, her throat feeling suddenly dry and averted her eyes to her lap, where her phone was laying, the screen once again black. Without so much as a word she got up, determined to leave the room, unable to stand being in his presence anymore.

This time she was really screwed.

"Where are you going? The movie isn't over yet."

"Umm... I'm feeling sleepy and I've already watched this movie so I know how it ends." She replied to Natasha and didn't even stop to say 'good night' before practically running out of there.

Back to her room, she cursed herself for unlocking her phone in front of Bucky, then for even taking her phone with her while she was watching the movie. She kept mumbling curses, thinking how would she be able to look at Bucky ever again. He probably thought she was some sick woman who was obsessed with him.

While huffing and puffing on her bed, she heard the hesitant knock on her door and her head snapped towards it, wondering for a moment if she had imagined it, but she was soon proved wrong when another knock was heard, a little more loud.

Y/n let out a sigh, not wanting to see anyone, considering to just not answer at all, whoever it was could wait until tomorrow, but apparently the person behind her door was determined to see her now, as a few more knocks sounded on the wooden surface of her door. With a huff she threw the comforter away and got up from the bed, walking to the door and opening it slowly, her breath catching behind her throat as she saw who was standing on the other side.

"Bucky..." Was the only word she was able to spill out as he entered her room without a word, his face set in an unreadable expression.

He turned to face her when he was inside her room, staring at her, parting his lips as if to say something, but apparently deciding against it as he closed them again.

Not standing the silence and his intense stare on her, she finally gathered some courage to speak first. "Bucky what are you doing here?"

Her tone was calm despite the growing nerves and she finally looked up to his eyes as she waited for a response.

After what felt like an eternity, but only being a couple of minutes of staring at each other, Bucky decided to speak up. "I know what you read on your phone." He said and despite it not being an accusation or nothing of the sort, he winced when he heard how his voice got out, and Y/n's fallen face was proof enough that he was being too harsh, dare he say tactless.

Despite knowing that he already knew, the way he said those words made Y/n's blood leave her face in a rush and she didn't know what to say. What could she even say? 'okay, you caught me!' It was stupid!

Another moment passed before he spoke again, this time in a softer tone. "I searched on the internet and I know all about it. I read a couple of those stories myself." He confessed and she could finally dare to meet his eye again.

A dejected sigh slipped past her lips as she responded. "I'm really sorry Bucky. I swear I'm not some crazy, obsessed girl, I just..." She shut up before she could say something she would regret.

"You just?"

His question was inviting, almost luring her to respond with nothing short of honesty. She let out another sigh as she moved to sit on the edge of her bed, fearing what she had to say would ruin whatever relationship - no matter how platonic - she had with Bucky. At least she could be sitting for when that moment came.

Her hands fell on her lap, fingers curling nervously around each other.

Okay this is it, she thought to herself, the moment of truth. She knew Bucky would probably never talk to her again after this, but she figured it was better to come clean to him once and for all. She looked up at him again, finding him already looking at her, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"The thing is, I really like you Bucky." Here it is! It is out! Now there is no turning back. "I think I actually more than like you..." She blushed as she said those words but she was determined to tell him everything, so she continued. "I have feelings for you, I've had them for sometime but I couldn't tell you that so when I found out about those fictive stories, I found myself surrounded by them, because at least there, there was a chance you liked me back and I lost myself in those fantasies of you and I and what we could be together." As she finished speaking, her head had hung low too, terrified of meeting his eye after this. Bucky had been silent in front of her, too silent, and if it wasn't for her looking directly at his legs, she would have thought maybe he left her room altogether. But he was there, staring her down, listening, thinking.

She couldn't bare to stand the silence anymore, already embarrassed enough, so she got up from her bed and moved to stand in front of him. "I understand if you hate me now and I am really sorry. I never meant to make things so uncomfortable and awkward between us and I promise I'll stop reading those stories -

She didn't get to finish her word as Bucky placed his lips on hers, effectively shutting her up. Her eyes widened for a second, before they fluttered close, surrendering to his kiss.

"I really like you too doll." He whispered against her lips, still not ready to totally part yet. "I'm sorry I'm not the easiest person to talk to and I'm really dense when it comes to love and relationships, but I have liked you since the first day I laid my eyes on you."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bucky Barnes liked her! Bucky liked her too! She liked Bucky. They liked each other! She wanted to squeal in delight, but she decided against it, opting to go for another kiss instead, happy she was finally able to do that for real.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes imagines

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shitty-marvel-fan732 · 5 years ago

Text

“I’ll Be Here”

Title: “I’ll Be Here”

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Warnings: Nightmares, insomnia, mentions of past trauma (nothing graphic)

Word Count: 4,800...because I have no self-control

Summary: Y/N hasn’t been sleeping well, can Bucky find out why?

The first time I noticed Y/N's insomnia was during an early morning training session.

She was off to the side, sparring with Natasha as I worked on strength training with Steve. The two women were on the mats, wrestling with one another. I should've been paying attention to the weights in my hands -- something Steve would no doubt scold me for soon -- but as usual I was more interested in watching Y/N. Not because I was totally infatuated with her or anything, just because she was acting a bit off.

Right.

Usually Y/N and Natasha were well matched; the two assassins typically sparred for nearly the entire session with neither one getting the upper hand for more than a few moments at a time. Today, however, Y/N was lagging. Natasha managed to pin her in just a few minutes. What's more, Y/N took a few seconds longer than usual to get back on her feet -- normally she was quick to hop up on the off-chance that she was knocked down, but today it seemed like she was moving in slow motion. Confusion rippled through me at the sight of the usually confident and collected assassin lying on the mat looking defeated and tired. Y/N and Natasha exchanged hushed words briefly before Y/N stomped off, grumbling to herself.

I wasn't tired in the least -- namely because I hadn't even really been working for the last few minutes -- but I felt my curiosity slowly getting the best of me. I stalked off under the guise of getting some water, eyes trained on Y/N's hunched form. I sidled up to her as casually as I could manage and grabbed my bottle. She nodded curtly in recognition of my presence but didn't speak.

I felt my eyebrows crinkle together in confusion. Y/N wasn't like the rest of the team -- impossibly chatty and self-assured, she was never crabby or tired during training. Realizing I hadn't kept up the act well at all, I sipped from my water almost robotically. While I sipped, I tried to subtly study her face, wondering what could possibly be causing her to act so out-of-character. I noted with concern the deep, purple circles under her eyes and the far off expression on her face.

I opened my mouth to question whether or not she was alright, but was abruptly cut-off by Steve's shout to get back to training. Rolling my eyes, I flashed Y/N one last look of concern before jogging off towards my friend. I'd have to file this encounter in my brain for later.

After that I began to watch Y/N more closely, trying to figure out what it was that troubled her. She seemed to bounce back by the time I'd seen her later in the day, and I all but forgot my concerns. It wasn't until a few days later that her lack of sleep entered my consciousness once more.

It was movie night in the tower, and I was bored out of my skull. Everyone had gathered in the tower's massive living room for the weekly event -- Sam and Tony were arguing over which movie to watch, Wanda and Vision were sitting practically on one another's laps as they chatted idly with Nat, Steve sat scribbling on yet another mission report, and Peter was hanging upside-down from the ceiling as he patiently waited for the movie to begin. I was sitting furthest from everyone else, keeping to myself and idly observing the various conversations, when Y/N wandered into the room.

Though I still internally thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, it was instantaneously clear that something was wrong with Y/N. She looked similar to that morning in the training room -- large bags underneath each eye and a somewhat pained expression splayed across her features. Maybe it was the way she seemed to move more slowly across the room or just her general aura of dishevelment, but whatever the case she just seemed off somehow. I felt myself growing more concerned by the moment.

She plopped down into the spot next to me, and I instantly felt my heart rate pick up at the proximity. Heat flooded my face as my mind became a jumble, and I was suddenly thankful that the only other people with super hearing in the room were currently busy at the moment. I tried my best to stifle the stupid little flutters raging inside my belly as I murmured a 'hello'. Y/N rubbed her face tiredly before mustering up a smile and muttering a half-hearted greeting.

"You doing okay doll?" I asked concernedly. She chuckled lightly, shifting a little in her seat so her head was leaning against my flesh arm. She settled into the position with an ease and familiarity that both warmed my heart and sent me into a panic all at once.

It was strange, the effect Y/N had on me: on the one hand, she had this ability to calm my entire body with just a single touch, but on the other hand it also made my mind race with over-eager thoughts and feelings. Even now, the feel of the soft skin of her cheek through my shirt sleeve was enough to send tiny pricks of electricity throughout my entire body. But it wasn't the harsh, painful sensations my mind seemed to expect -- Y/N's touch was always gentle, welcomed. Even so, my mind raced with thoughts of why on earth she felt so relaxed around me. Was she just like this with everyone? Did it mean anything?

"Just fine Buck," her half-joking reply broke me out of my mental musings. "Why, do I look ugly or something?"

I immediately began floundering, shaking my head quickly and stuttering out apologies so fast I almost missed the soft giggles eminating from Y/N. Even though I was pretty sure she was kidding, I continued to ramble on, unwilling to let her think for a second that she was anything less than gorgeous. Thankfully, she only let me panic for a few moments before lifting her head fractionally and smiling at me.

"S'okay Buck, I know what you meant," she chuckled amicably before settling back into my shoulder. "I'm alright, just tired as always."

If anyone would've asked, I would've sworn my face was on fire. I hummed lightly in response, not trusting my voice at the moment. Thankfully, Nat saved me further embarrassment by rolling her eyes and laughing.

"Of course our little insomniac is tired," she quipped good-naturedly. "When's the last time you actually slept Y/N/N?"

I frowned down towards Y/N in concern. She just snickered at Natasha's question, flipping her off as she smiled sweetly. Nat chuckled once more, letting the subject drop and turning her attention back to her previous conversation. Evidently Tony and Sam had finally agreed on a movie, and the lights dimmed as the main titles began to play.

"You're not sleeping?" I softly questioned. Even though she hadn't been moving before, I could still feel the way she stiffened at my question, and my concern grew. She recovered quickly however, turning her head just enough to look me in the face and shooting me a wary look.

"Do any of us?" she questioned back. Her face was illuminated by the soft glow of the screen, eyes darkened with a look I couldn't quite place and features as vulnerable as I'd ever seen. The sight of her, so close to my face and so open all but took my breath away. I opened my mouth to respond --

"Hey lovebirds, can you quiet down over there?" Sam interrupted loudly. I tore my gaze away from Y/N to find the entire team looking over at Y/N and I with amused and expectant expressions. Y/N buried her face into my arm at the attention, clearly embarrassed. Unconsciously, my arm wrapped around her frame and pulled her deeper into my side. I glared at Sam and flipped him off with my free hand. He and the rest of the team chuckled before turning back to the movie.

After the intrusion I was too distracted by the feel of Y/N being tucked into my body to question her any more. Also, she did end up falling asleep during the film, head resting gently across my chest and expression serene. She managed to sleep through the entirety of all 3 movies Tony insisted we watch. Normally I would've left part way through the first, but I would rather die than disturb Y/N as she peacefully slept. She clearly needed it, and the fact that she was cuddled up to me as she did it was just a happy coincidence.

I chalked her lack of sleep up to a generational difference. Maybe millennials had just learned to get by with less sleep? I wasn't totally up to date with the ins-and-outs of this new generation, but I was fairly sure that insomnia was a common problem. People could say what they liked about them, but I was honestly blown away by the amount of shit that people in this age had to deal with. College cost more than a house would've back in my day, employers were getting pickier and pickier about who got a job, and there was a near-constant threat of some kind of world-wide disaster at any given moment. Not to mention the fact that apparently the arctic was melting? Global warming disturbed me to no end, especially since it was one of the only reasons Steve had been found in the first place. Of course people slept less easily these days, why would Y/N be an exception?

Currently, we were on our way back from a routine mission. We were the only ones on the Quinjet, sitting across from one another as we flew home. Neither of us said much, both happy to decompress from things silently.

Studying her face as we sat, I felt the familiar feeling of concern bubble up in my chest at the sight. Her eyes were almost bloodshot, lids weighing heavily as she leaned against the side of the jet like she was fighting to keep them open. The purple bags that I'd first noted all those weeks ago had only seemed to have grown, now sagging low on her face which seemed paler than usual. Her expression was flat, mouth and brows drooping into a very uncharacteristic frown.

Though I was worried, I wasn't willing to break the comfortable silence Y/N and I had created in the jet. I watched as her eyes fluttered shut and snapped open for a few minutes before she finally succumbed to her tiredness and fell asleep. I breathed out a sigh of relief I wasn't even aware I'd been holding in as I watched her struggle. I wasn't a religious man, but I was suddenly thankful to whatever god listening that she was actually getting some sleep.

Settling back into my seat, I watched as she slept and internally planned a way to bring her out of the jet without waking her. Seemed simple enough -- she'd slept soundly enough all those weeks ago at movie night that I was able to gather her up into my arms and bring her to her room without waking her. It wasn't exactly difficult to convince myself to help her once more. Outside of the fact that I was legitimately becoming concerned about the amount of sleep she was getting, I would be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of having Y/N in my arms once more. Last time she'd cuddled into me so tightly, like a kitten curling up on your chest. If I concentrated hard enough I could practically still feel her warm body against my torso. The mere thought raised a light blush to my cheeks and made my legs start to lose strength.

I seriously needed to get a grip.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I almost missed the sounds Y/N was making. The soft whimpers reminded me almost like the sounds dogs make as they dream -- small, high-pitched noises that squeaked from her lips as she slept. Her body was still slumped against the metal frame of the jet, but with one glance I could tell her posture had definitely tensed. Her fists were clenching and relaxing over and over, eyes squeezed closed tightly, and every now and then her whole body would jerk around. Fear and guilt pooled in the pit of my stomach as I realized what was happening.

Y/N was having a nightmare.

I froze for a moment, unsure what to do, until Y/N let out another cry of pain and terror, louder this time. My body was instantly by her side without even checking in with my brain first before moving. I pulled her onto my lap gently and began rubbing soothing patterns around the expanse of her back with my metal hand while the flesh one delicately cupped her face. She was trembling all over and her fists immediately wound their way into the fabric of my shirt and clenched as she hung on for dear life.

After a few moments I decided I had to wake her. Whatever was going on in her head was clearly causing her immense fear, and it felt like my heart was breaking with each jerk of her body or whimper of pain. I began softly calling her name, hands still moving gently across her skin as I tried to rouse her.

It didn't work.

My gentle prying hadn't woken her in the slightest. In fact her movements had become even more erratic -- she was now thrashing in my arms, futilely trying to fight off whatever she was facing in her dream. Mind whirling, I gripped her tighter and began calling her name louder.

She woke with a start. Her bloodshot eyes flew open and she instantly attacked me. Her fists flew quickly and landed solidly against my jaw as she scrambled off my lap. She jerked away, back landing against the farthest wall of the jet and posture defensive. Her eyes were wild with a kind of dangerous fire I recognized all too well.

I raised my hands up in surrender, not moving an inch from my place.

“Y/N, it’s me. Bucky. You’re safe, it was just a dream,” I explained slowly. “You’re safe.”

Her eyes darted back and forth for a few seconds, and I could practically feel the realization seeping through her. The fog of terror from her nightmare was slowly fading from her face, giving way to a look of vulnerable confusion.

“Bucky?” she breathed. Her chest was still heaving with each breath she took and her voice was small. Y/N’s eyes were wide as she searched my face for an answer, and I felt a wave of sympathy roll through me at the panicked, bewildered emotions that were written all over her face. I nodded slowly and began to lower my hands. Y/N sucked in a breath as the final flash of recognition crossed her features and she let out a sob.

I was up in an instant, arms winding around her shaking body and lips murmuring encouraging words into her hair. I could feel her tears starting to soak through my shirt as she clung against my chest and sobbed. A deep, unsettling weight made it's home in my belly as I listened to her cries. I pushed the feeling down as I comforted her, trying everything I knew to end her anguish.

Eventually her sobbing slowed, and the jet was silent once more, save for a few hiccups and sniffles every now and again. My hands were still absentmindedly rubbing against her back, but I took her silence as a good sign and I pulled my head back marginally so I could look at her more fully.

The sight of Y/N's face almost broke my heart in two. Her normally clear skin was now tear-stained and covered in red and pink splotches, and the area under her eyes was puffy. Her mouth was set in a deep pout that didn't suit her at all. Worst of all was the look in her eyes -- her Y/E/C irises looked like a storm cloud, pain and despair swirling within them in a way I was all too familiar with. They looked like the way I often felt during my more dark moments, and the idea that she was feeling anything close to that twisted the rock-like knot even deeper into my lower belly.

"Y/N…" I murmured emphatically. She sniffled, pulling one of her arms away from its place entangled in my shirt to rub some of the errant tears away from her face. I guided her gently back to one of the benches and we both sat without detangling ourselves from one another.

"Sorry," she whispered almost robotically. "I just...I had…".

"A nightmare?" I supplied quietly. She nodded, body beginning to lean away from mine as if she was going to pull away. My grip on her tightened marginally, unwilling to let her go just yet. She seemed appreciative at the silent offer of support, and her head rolled back into the crook of my neck easily.

"How long?" I asked evenly. Though I couldn't see her face anymore due to our position I could feel the way her body tensed at the query. My hands began running up and down her back once more, almost of their own accord. After a few moments her muscles relaxed a bit under my soothing touch, and I breathed a silent breath of relief at the progress.

"Since Ultron, I guess," she whispered so quietly I almost missed it. I felt my brows furrow even deeper at the admission -- Steve had filled me in about what had happened in Sokovia, but if I was recalling correctly that was almost 2 years ago. Guilt flooded my chest at the sheer length of time Y/N had been struggling without any help.

“I watched...there was a kid, and he…I couldn’t”

“You don’t have to tell me,” I cut her off quickly. Her only response was to burrow deeper into the crook of my neck, seemingly grateful to be spared the task of reliving the nightmare. Though the feeling of the soft skin of her face against my neck was enough to send those embarrassing flutters through my body, my mind was still working in overdrive to try and figure out a way to reduce Y/N’s pain.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I...I want to help".

I felt Y/N's small smile against my neck and I shivered at the gentle movement of her lips.

"I know you do Buck, but there's nothing to be done," she mumbled regretfully. Almost immediately afterwards she yawned and began stretching her limbs like a cat around my frame before settling back into my embrace. I couldn't help but chuckle fondly.

The only sounds that filled the jet now were the soft whirring of the engines and the sound of the air passing by the outside as we flew. For a moment I wondered if Y/N had fallen asleep again, but the steady thrum of her heartbeat and the quiet yawns she let escape every now and again told me otherwise. After a few minutes of silence I quietly spoke up once more.

"I get them too you know."

Y/N's face turned upwards just enough so she was looking me in the eyes. Her expression was guarded, but I could see the spark of curiosity in her eyes.

"Really?"

Even though her tone was nonchalant I could easily tell that she cared more about my response than she'd like to let on. I nodded, swallowing thickly and glancing away from her.

"Yeah. I used to get them back during the war, but they really started up bad after everything with HYDRA," I explained as calmly as I could manage. I could practically feel the holes her eyes were burning into my face as she watched me intently.

"I still get them sometimes but not as much.”

“Wh-what did you do to make them better?” she asked curiously. I shrugged.

“I dunno. Therapy and time I guess,” I supplied. Her hopeful expression faltered slightly and guilt fanned through me. “Sorry, I know that’s not exactly what you probably wanted to hear.”

Y/N shook her head, yawning.

"S'okay Buck, you're just being honest," she mumbled against my shoulder. "Wasn't exactly expecting an answer anyways."

She let out another huge yawn. My hands paused briefly on their circuit up and down the expanse of her back as a thought filtered through my mind.

"You should sleep doll," I murmured softly against her hair. "I can tell you're exhausted."

Y/N yawned once more and shook her head stubbornly against my chest.

"S'fine Buck. I've been worse." her soft voice filtered up, slightly muffled by the fabric of my shirt. I frowned.

"Y/N…" I warned disapprovingly.

"Seriously, I'm fine!" came her sleepy, half-hearted protest. "Besides, if I do it'll just…"

She trailed off, but the weight of what she was alluding to covered the air in the jet like a thick, wet blanket. The tension in my brows relaxed marginally as I was hit with another wave of sympathy. I tightened my grip on her body into what I hoped was a comforting embrace. My heart lifted and those damned butterflies erupted into a frenzy as I heard her sigh contently. Not even a beat later I felt her burrow herself even further into my arms and I couldn't help but smile at the feeling.

"It's okay doll. I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here if it happens again," I ventured quietly. After a few moments of contemplation Y/N lifted her head from my chest, and I felt a flash of fear tear through my body. Maybe I'd crossed a line? What if she didn't appreciate my nagging, or thought I was overstepping the boundaries of the tentative friendship we had? I opened my mouth, poised and ready to spew apologies for intruding, but closed it seconds later as I caught the look on her face.

Her Y/E/C eyes were wide, unshed tears lining them as she looked up at me. Her expression was one of pure adoration, full of hope and cautious optimism. The sight of it almost knocked all the breath out of my body.

"Yo-you will?" she breathed, voice small and hopeful. Warmth filled my chest and I smiled.

"Promise." I vowed. Her face split into a lopsided grin and her cheeks flushed with the most adorable pink splotches I'd ever seen. She held my gaze for a few moments longer before her face disappeared into the confines of my chest once more. I settled back into the side of the jet with Y/N's form still gathered closely in my arms, utterly content and pleased with the way things had turned out.

In no time at all I heard her breaths begin to even out and the beating of her heart slow as she fell back asleep. I sat back, hands still absentmindedly running along her back as she slept with my mind racing as it tried to process the last few minutes. Normally after even the briefest interaction with Y/N my brain would be riddled with self-doubt and anxiety, over playing each second over again and internally cringing at my reactions. But it was hard to form any thoughts that were semi-coherent with her cuddled peacefully against my body. Instead, my mind was occupied by scanning every visible inch of her form, working desperately to try and commit the sights, sounds, and feelings to my memory.

It didn't take long before the jet landed back at the tower. I paused momentarily before carefully gathering Y/N in my arms and walking out. I made a beeline for her room, ignoring or silencing any of the team we met along the way with a single glance. After the struggle on the jet I’d be damned if one of them woke her. Not that they really tried -- everyone backed off pretty quickly once they noticed Y/N’s sleeping form, irritatingly smug smirks plastered across their features. If it weren't for the sleeping beauty in my arms I was certain that any one of them would've had a litany of teasing comments at the ready. Especially Tony. Poor guy looked like he might have an aneurysm if he didn't get to spit whatever sarcastic jab his brain was cooking up out soon.

Eventually I made it to her room, and settled her gently into her bed.

It wasn’t easy.

Even asleep Y/N was still one of the most stubborn people I knew. She grumbled petulantly in her sleep, and I practically had to pry her off my chest to get her onto the bed. Once I'd successfully detangled my shirt from her fingers' iron grip, I removed her combat boots and brought the covers up over her curled up form. She'd pay hell in the morning from Tony for sleeping in her dirty tac-gear and ruining the sheets, but I sure as hell wasn't about to wake her to change. After I was sure she was settled, I took one final glance at her peaceful face before turning to leave. I made it all the way to the door, finger hovering over the light switch, before I heard her.

"You said you'd be here."

Y/N was sitting up in her bed, eyes half-lidded and palms rubbing against them tiredly as she piped up. I smiled unconsciously at the sight of her sleepy expression.

"That I did," I chuckled softly. She raised an eyebrow curiously.

“So stay here...” she murmured. “Please.”

I nodded, crossing the room once more and dragging her desk chair with me as I went. I set it down next to her bed and settled in before motioning for her to continue sleeping. She blinked a few times, amusement and exhaustion lacing her features.

"No, you old man," she giggled quietly, patting the empty space next to her. "I meant here as in here."

Now it was my turn to blink in confusion.

"O-oh," I stuttered. "Is that -- I mean if you want…"

Y/N chuckled again, clearly as amused by my floundering when half-asleep as she was when she was awake.

"Just get in here Buck."

No need to tell me twice. I shucked off my boots and crawled into Y/N's bed beside her. I paused as I pulled her blankets over my body, uncertain as to what to do next.

I mean, she seemed like she liked being in my arms back in the Quinjet, but maybe it was different now that we were in her bed? It certainly felt different -- even though the space between us couldn't have been more than a few inches at most, it felt like there was an entire country between Y/N and I. Things were too close, too intimate. I was powerless to make even a single move under the crushing weight of the implications thick in the air. And yet my fingers were twitching against her mattress as they fought the urge to wrap her up in my embrace once more.

Evidently, Y/N noticed the distance between us.

She rolled over to her side so that she was facing me. Though she still looked like she was having some trouble keeping her eyes open, there was a glint of mischief and some other emotion in them as she surveyed my frozen form. I glanced down at her briefly, muscles completely stiff and immobile as I silently wondered what the hell I was going to do next.

Y/N giggled once more, the sound sending the butterflies in my core crazy. She mercifully closed the space between us as she settled into my side. Her head nestled against my chest and her arms threw themselves around my frame like I was a pillow. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, muscles relaxing considerably as I wound my arms around her and pulled her flush into my side.

"Thanks," she murmured sleepily. Her eyes were already closed and I could feel her heartbeat slowing as she fell asleep once more.

"Anytime Doll," I whispered fondly, nose nuzzling into the hairs atop the crown of her head. I yawned, suddenly extremely aware of just how tired I was. I leaned my head down against Y/N's and closed my eyes too, sure that for once I'd be guaranteed a good night's sleep.

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danwhobrowses · 4 years ago

Text

MCU: 10 Ways WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier are the Same

So now we have 2 of Marvel's Phase 3.5 shows in the books, and both have been pretty great. In the 7 week wait for Loki though we'll have time to mull things over.

When watching the Falcon & Winter Soldier finale though, I started to notice that there were some patterns between it and Wandavision. While two completely different stories they did share some similar beats, so here's 10 I spotted and thus 10 to look out for when Loki comes around.

Spoilers for WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, give it a watch before you give this a look

10 - Villains become Memes

While one can contest that Zemo acts more as an antihero in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he still provides an antagonistic edge in the story. However, both he and Agatha became villains that had charisma to charm the audience, and their actions brought about multiple memes. On Agatha's side there was the wink, Agatha All Along and her in the fitness outfit, while with Zemo there was the 'it captures the experience', his iconic dancing and Turkish Delight. While not a story beat on the shows, the writers must've known that fans would gravitate to these characters to give them such content to use. Also add a hat tip to John Walker who got his own memes too with him about to embed the shield into a dude's chest, and Wanda herself for her nose scrunch being used as a meme alongside Thor's 'is it though?'.

9 - The Government aren't exactly helpful

While the Government aren't entirely the enemy in the show, they don't do well to stay on our heroes' good side. In WandaVision, they enhance Wanda's grief in the fact that she can't even lay him to rest, SWORD instead deciding that her lover is government property and they are harvesting his 'organs' and vibranium skin as a resource to use for weapons. On Falcon & Winter Soldier, the US Government deliberately deceive Sam by having him hand over the shield to put in a museum, only to then take it out and give it to John Walker without even telling Sam or Bucky about it. In addition when they disavow Walker they try to reclaim the Shield - which, as the Contessa does reveal, isn't technically their property either. While Falcon & Winter Soldier delved deeper into the government's lack of help through the GDC subplot motivating the Flag Smashers, there were still similarities found with how SWORD - which is quite different to its comic version - antagonizes Wanda. In the end all this escalates because of them, and in the end neither of them get to keep the Vibranium.

8 - 'Good Person' is Bad Guy

Although there's a more supernatural threat in both stories, the characters end up having their trust betrayed by people they believed to be decent. For WandaVision it is current Director of SWORD, Director Hayward, who appears adamant in silencing Wanda after using her as a means to power up White Vision as a programmable weapon. For Falcon & the Winter Soldier, it's Sharon Carter - descendant of Steve's beau who he also made out with - the discarded agent who gave up a lot for the heroes only to not get it in return, remaining enemy of the state and becoming the Power Broker. The shows can also have this reserved for 'Agnes' and John Walker but in the end people expected them to break bad from day 1. You could make a statement for Wanda since she looks to be an antagonist for Doctor Strange 2 though.

7 - The MCU add a little history

Marvel has had a habit of changing Wanda's (and Pietro's) origin on a whim, the MCU deciding to source their powers on an Infinity Stone. Doing this however left a gap in the fact that Wanda is a Witch, which they cleaned up in WandaVision. Treading back on the Scarlet Witch being a mantle (though cutting her mother being a Scarlet Witch before her) as it is in the comics, they changed Wanda's powers from being latent and amplified by the stone rather than gifted to the stone itself. Falcon & Winter Soldier added to their history with the impactful Truth: Red, White and Black story, adding Isaiah Bradley into the MCU to further layer the conflict and tragedy Sam faces with being Captain America. Both are welcome additions to the MCU timeline, setting up for newer things to come in Phase 4 Movies.

6 - The hero wins the fight, but not the day

Winning isn't always winning, as Wanda and Sam would discover upon the finale of their respective shows. Wanda defeats Agatha and Hayward is forced to face his crimes, but she has also come to terms with the face that the Hex must go, and in turn her family with it. While the Hex has freed all its residents, Wanda knows that she's not on anyone's good side either with the people she subconsciously enslaved. Sam gets it a little better, he's recognized himself as Captain America and given a patented 'Cap-speech', but he was unable to save Karli Morgenthau from being killed, someone who he was once so close to reaching and sympathized heavily with. Although the Super Soldier threat is neutralized, the Flag Smashers' ideals will live on to further radicalize itself, and its vision will further sow conflict and division.

5 - (Mostly) Bigger Roles for old MCU Side Characters

Never one to shy past their crossovers, Wandavision and Falcon & the Winter Soldier both brought back side characters - some more obscure than others - from older films to gel into the plot. WandaVision brought back Darcy from the Thor franchise and Jimmy Woo from Ant Man & the Wasp to great comedic effect, fans already wanting a spin-off with them and possibly Monica - who may also count but technically not the same actress, the same can be said for 'Pietro' too. Falcon & the Winter Soldier stayed primarily in their lane of Captain America movies; with Batroc and Sharon both debuting in Winter Soldier and Dora Milaje's Ayo debuting in Civil War, while it was less comedic, the story was more interwoven with them since they all had ties to the main two characters.

4 - [Person] is obviously [Character]

Possibly a bit of a narrative backdrop, or maybe years of MCU has clued us in on a plot twist a mile away, but both shows also were unable to hide well that Agnes from WandaVision and Sharon from Falcon & Winter Soldier were in fact Agatha Harkness and the Power Broker. It's not to say that knowing ruined the story, it just felt more of a 'when' rather than an 'if'. The main difference though is that Sharon managed to keep her villainy secret, and remains that way, while Agatha went too far in trying to take Wanda's power rather than help her with it and has now become stuck as Agnes instead.

3 - New Blood coming on the Hero Scene

While the shows already did their job in setting up Wanda and Sam as big league heroes, they also looked a bit more in establishing new blood too. WandaVision established the potential for the twin Maximoff boys to grow into Wiccan and Speed - once Wanda finds a way to re-canonize them, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also made sure to introduce Elijah Bradley, Isaiah's grandson, which may also aid in establishing a Young Avengers team - what with Kate Bishop also soon to appear in Hawkeye. WandaVision also created the origin for Monica Rambeau, having her body altered by the Hex, which will likely be furthered in Captain Marvel 2, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also established John Walker as the US Agent to leave a potential for Thunderbolts, as well as introducing Joaquin Torres - opening the possibility to have a new Falcon. While not a bad thing to set up for the future, it is interesting that both shows had exactly 3 names that could become future heroes.

2 - 'Villain' character partly redeems themselves after a Grief-Fuelled Mistake

Make no mistake, technically speaking Wanda is still a villain in WandaVision: she enslaved an entire town and suppressed them as side characters of a tv show. But the thing is that she didn't really intend to cause pain, it was an impulse action triggered by her grief. The same can be said for John Walker in Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he was already pressured by the standards being Captain America would entail and he was feeling the stress of a string of failures, a Dora Milaje humbling and a frosty reception from Steve's two close friends, juiced up on Super Soldier serum, and then his best friend just got killed because he didn't back him up, in a rage he killed a Flag Smasher with the shield - even though they were fleeing and not the one who killed Lemar, which he would lie about to Lemar's family. Despite this though, they managed to find some form of redemption, even if it was small. Wanda released the Hex and stopped Agatha from going haywire with her chaos magic, John gave up on his revenge seeking to save a truck from falling. Even though it doesn't entirely make up for what they did, it was at least a sign that they had not completely gone off the deep end...yet.

1 - Comic-Accurate Costumes

Comic costumes are always a tough one because some of the older costumes were borderline atrocious. WandaVision at the very least managed to poke fun at it with them dressing up most of the Maximoff/Vision family in their comic-accurate costumes, Speed getting a few more nods in the finale alongside Wanda's revamped and quite on the money look. In Falcon & Winter Soldier, there was accurate costuming for John Walker's US Agent look and Sam's Captain America costume, not to mention Lemar's Battlestar outfit, Zemo's mask and Batroc's jumpsuit.

Overall, it's not a bad thing that they kept these story beats, but it may be worth trying to avoid some of these in later tv show plot points so that it doesn't appear repetitive and formulaic. These shows have been great, so let's keep that momentum going.

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paracosim · 4 years ago

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Way by the Wood?

lmao I completely forgot this was part of the ask game. WBTW is a novella I’m writing, about a middle-aged married couple in Finland who end up becoming inter-dimensional travelers after the main character Wanda’s husband Obrecht vanishes in the woods one day. When she finally finds him he’s delirious and talks about nothing but a door he found in the forest, through which he saw unspeakable things. The experience changes him and he’s no longer content to live their peaceful lives, so Wanda decides to pack up with him and go to find the door (mostly humoring him).

They do, of course, find the door and become universe hoppers, people who have inadvertently discovered portals into the unknown and found themselves wanting after their first taste. But as the years go by and they find themselves separated by forces out of their control, Wanda begins to wonder if they’ve perhaps gone too far—and if they’ll ever find their way back home or back to each other.

I’m using a more whimsical writing style with this one to give it a bit of a fairytale vibe. The timeline spans across thirty-seven years so they’re both quite old by the end. I’ve never written a story centering a married couple before and rarely write m/f couples at all so it’s pretty different as far as characters go. I’m enjoying it though and am going to make it as painful as possible. I want ugly sobbing at the end of it. Here’s some parts I like most:

It was on a bright winter’s morning in January that Obrecht Hämäläinen disappeared, and only his wife Wanda was there to miss him. (The first line)

They sold the chickens, because neither of them were sure how long they would be gone and Obrecht didn’t want to come home to find bones. The man who lived nearest came willingly after they dug up their old rotary and his number, trundling in with his pickup to haul the lot away for a handful of markka by evening that next day. Then they called their few family members, chatting idly with her Aunt Aada and his nephew Tomas, making vague talk about visiting at Christmas or exchanging holiday cards. Nothing concrete, no formal plans made, but it was enough of a goodbye that perhaps their leaving wouldn’t sting so badly if anyone came calling.

The laundry was done and clothes were packed. They tucked away sewing kits and a disposable camera, Wanda’s stock of cloth pads for her monthly bleed, and as many socks as they could fit into their rucksacks—because who could say how much walking their adventure would require? Obrecht gathered their most durable silverware, three bowls, and two small cups. When she caught him slipping their finest bottle of wine into the final pocket of his pack he offered no explanation beyond a wink and a grin.

“I think I see lodgings up ahead,” Obrecht said, stepping over a stream of run-off in the road.

Wanda noticed it too late to avoid it. Her shoes, so worn and faded by the months of travel, went sodden in an instant as she splashed into the puddle, her socks squelching against her toes. “Oh,” she grumbled, stepping to the side—

And then she woke up.

Her head was aching and she’d slept at a funny angle, so that her neck had turned oddly through the night and protested when she sat up. Only—had it…been night? When had she gone to sleep? And where…

There were trees all around her, tall and looming, and it was dark. The chill in the air left gooseflesh on her arms even though she remembered it being quite warm only moments ago. A fine layer of snow cushioned the ground beneath her, scraped about by her movements. And the leaves on the trees were shaped in a way she had never seen before. It was all so unfamiliar. It felt foreign. It smelled foreign. She could not, then, be in Finland, or the world she and Obrecht had…had…

She was alone. Obrecht was nowhere in sight.

“Obrecht?” she whispered, scrambling to her feet. Her socks were still wet but her discomfort seemed terribly unimportant all of a sudden. “Obrecht, dear, are you there? Obrecht?”

There was no one around, only her in this strange forest, in this strange world, and for a moment Wanda couldn’t allow herself to think it. Because surely they had not been—she hadn’t—surely—

“Obrecht!” she shouted, turning about again and again, like she could conjure him where she stood and all would be well again. But he didn’t appear. There was only her. “Please. Please, Obrecht.”

There must have been a door somewhere in that puddle. She had fallen through too quickly to realize. Where was her husband? Had he remained there in that other world, however many dimensions away? Or had he been lost to a hop of his own? Was he waking up just as she had, bewildered and disoriented, in a strange land, alone? Or was he finding she was gone, turning round to find her missing without a trace? Would he wait for her? Would he come find her?

“Take me back,” she begged to the empty air, and pounded her fists on a tree until her knuckles were raw and bloody. “Take me back!”

She was alone. Obrecht was gone, there was no portal, no door, and she was alone.

“Take me back,” she gasped, dropping to her knees in the snow. Her hands stung and there was a pressure building behind her eyes. “Please…take me back to him.”

The forest was silent. And at last Wanda could not hold back the sob fighting its way up her throat. What was she to do? Where was the door? If she could find the door, then…

But she was alone. Wanda had never been the one to find the doors; it had always been Obrecht. Obrecht, who was worlds away, who had all of the answers. Obrecht, who would know what to do when she never had.

“Take me back,” she sobbed, laying her head against the bark of the tree, and wept like a child until the blackness of sleep dragged her down.

“Have you seen him?” she breathed into the quiet, even though she already knew the answer.

Nadja didn’t respond, though Wanda could see the line of her shoulders go taut for an instant. She had not seen Obrecht. No one here had; not once in thirty-six years.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” she laughed, wiping tears from her cheeks. Her bones creaked as she stood. “There’s just so much…I have so many stories to tell you.”

“Come, sit,” Obrecht said, eyes shining as he pulled up a chair and poured her a glass of wine. “Have a drink. I want to hear everything.”

(The last lines) @solasnarealtai

#welp this got long sorry folks #mine

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trashywormeateroffics · 2 years ago

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The right universe.

Read this on AO3!

Category: F/M.

Relationships: Loki/reader.

MASTERLIST OF THE STORY

Chapter 37: Home bittersweet home.

She stood there, in the place she last stepped on. Confused, she started to look around the cliff. It was in the middle of nowhere. She wasn't sure, but she felt like it had happened. That she was back. Still, she needed to make sure.

Getting on a bus and telling the driver that she had lost all her money and cards, expecting him to take pity on her, which he did, she sat down and looked at her hands. They were shaking, so she tucked them in her pockets.

Once she reached more civilization, she decided to test her theory.

“Hi,” she said to a man in a newspaper stand. The man just gave a quick nod. “Do you have something about Marvel?”

“Many things girl, what would you like?” She gulped.

“A comic, please, any comic.”

The man looked at her strangely, but surely he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to sell his products. He grabbed the first comic of the pile and gave it to her. She looked at it.

“I am so sorry,” she said before beginning to run.

“Hey!” He called out. “Hey, come here you little shit!”

Once she was out of sight, she teleported to a park she knew all too well, where she sat down on the grass and began to flip through the pages.

She was back in her original universe, but she didn't remember how. She knew about Sigyn and the whole actually Asgardian thing, but she didn't remember much after she stormed into her room. She widened her eyes. Oh god, they would think she was kidnapped or worse… that she left them! They had no way of knowing where she was, or so she thought. She rubbed her temples and pinched the bridge of her nose. Everyone there was smart, even if the odds were not in her favor, they would come to the conclusion that she had gone back without intending to.

After a while of reading, she started to feel very tired, so she closed her eyes, just for five minutes.

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

When she woke up, Y/N gasped. It was dark, probably the middle of the night. She must have been tired, she knew that the magic she used was very draining, especially when travelling that far.

She looked around. The park was empty, the streets were too, except for one car passing every few minutes. She yawned, she was still tired?

Rolling her eyes, she created a protective bubble around herself and went back to sleep.

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

Standing in front of her old house made her heart more rotten. She suddenly felt so angry, so ruined, so used by life. Not seeing that place and not being able to was great for avoidance, yet now that she couldn't avoid it anymore, she realized how much it still hurt, how much she had been avoiding it.

Walking around it, it was empty, as a graveyard at night. The life that house once had was gone. She felt like burning it to the ground. But she didn't, not yet. She still had hope, she still believed she would feel better one day; but it all depended on one thing, them finding her.

~taglist~ @mischief2sarawr @midnights-ramblings @paetonnn @tohellwiththedevill

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vaguely-gestures-to-the-void · 3 years ago

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Hindsight: My thoughts on Loki (2021)

Welcome back folks. Read the innocence dying inside me as I accept that this show eats my expectations for lunch and leaves me like it's going to buy milk.

As a side note from what I said in my first review, here’s an interesting article. Apparently I was clowning because the Gobi desert scene was filmed (probably? idk) with the tech from the Mandalorian. I think the studios were the same. Oh well. https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2021/06/loki-filming-locations.html

Episode 4: THE NEXUS EVENT

Pre-title scene

The new perspective of Asgard is incredible.

Oh baby Sylvie, what did they do to you. Also, RAVONNA??

The TVA through a child’s eyes is heartbreaking. The mixed use of shots that were familiar (the feet walking into the TVA) and new (the TVA logo on the floor) convey how though routine, this is an alien experience for Sylvie.

She too wants to help the man being dragged in. Maybe Sylvie was a better person than Loki, the TVA taking her away was what changed it.

We don’t see Casey, but iIt’s the same ‘sign here’ guy. The changing perspective and music really alters the mood created, contrasting the whimsical procedure we followed in episode one.

She hadn’t even said much in her life. They knew how to influence the audience’s emotions, that's for sure. Props to the actress, I felt genuine concern for her before I remembered that she’s acting.

TVA

Ravonna probably underestimated Sylvie as a Loki, a mistake that cost her greatly.

The golden doors.

Ravonna looks tense and a bit fearful.

Scattered throughout the episode are eyes watching. George Orwell’s 1984, anyone?

Big Brother is watching.

Mobius! He’s a good friend to Ravonna, but there’s a power imbalance.

Ravonna is shaken. Her past failure is haunting her.

Someone edit the “What? How?” into “Wow.” It’ll be a service.

Lamentis - 1

Loki’s apology and Sylvie reflecting on her childhood are the conclusion to the previous episode. Faced with death, Loki realises that her goals were hindered by his actions. His apology is the first time he acknowledges he had something to do with it. Sylvie’s offering her emotional vulnerability in the form of memories. Her mind and experiences are her most prized possession because they’re all she has of the person who she was as Loki, her childhood and what she was supposed to be. Her glorious purpose, what really makes a Loki a ‘Loki’ was her life.

THEY TRUST EACH OTHER. THIS WAS WHAT CAUSED THE NEXUS EVENT.

C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T.

Ravonna pointed out that Loki will always be a “lying scourge” but they went against this. In any timeline, this could cause a nexus event. They found a middle ground.

“That should be setting off alarms if someone steps on the wrong leaf.” I had a whole idea about entropy and the timeline being an isolated system but I struggled to define an isolated system, and thus I couldn’t use the whole irreversible process causing entropy to grow causing a br- if you have a clue of what I’m going on about, or want to know more, I’ll explain my thoughts. I can understand why this isn’t scientifically accurate and I’m no physicist.

The unbranched timeline means all the things that were speculated - Wanda’s kids, what happened on Saakar, all of it - is gone.

“Any news on C - 20?”I called it! B-15 is having doubts! Her subtle unease building up throughout the ep is perfect!

Most settlements have a street design that can be from space. Sharru doesn’t.

“No. We may lose... ...you’re amazing!” Damn it literally took the end of a world for Loki to change as a person.

“Their smiles. If that isn’t people accepting their deaths I don’t know what is. Man, I just want both of them to be happy.

Please don’t let that be the love theme, it’s so pretty.

The music fading into the TVA theme as they get separated is so sad.

Time Theater 25

Back to square one in terms of trust with these two, but now they have history and hurt feelings too!

Oh Mobius.

Cycles are a part of who Loki is within Norse mythology (from what I know, correct me if I’m wrong). This scene is conflict.

Loki needs both Mobius and Sylvie to incite change. One can empathise whilst the other believes in him.

Mobius believes in Loki like no one else in the TVA. He treats him like an individual, they developed a bond in episode 2, so his disappointment and anger were genuine. This is reflected in their dialogue.

Even when Loki was going through all the Feels in ep 1, he didn’t shout at Mobius. It makes it more heartbreaking when Mobius laughs and dismisses him after the “TVA is lying to you” thing. His laugh was so bitter, it’s like his belief that Loki would be the variant to prove that variants were individuals had been shattered. What Mobius doesn’t realise is that Loki was genuinely trying to warn him. The trust between them was fragile but Mobius needed to come to his own conclusions before he could see that Loki had broken out of the mold the Time Keepers set for him.

“Just kind of an asshole and a bad friend.” Y’all, Mobius doesn’t rise to Loki’s baits. He’s so hurt.

I can’t be the only one that thought Loki was going to be brainwashed when they saw the red door. Turns out it’s just a time cell.

I love Mobius but he makes me feel so conflicted. Oh shit, he’s my problematic fave.

Watching Loki get his ass handed to him by Lady Sif shouldn’t be this funny.

This particular memory reflects what Mobius will talk about later, Loki being abandon by the people around him.

Putting Loki through a memory that was physically and emotionally painful was nasty. If you hear something horrible, over and over especially from a friend it would take a toll on your self-perception. Mobius was hurt by Loki leaving him, he’s getting revenge whilst doing his job and getting into Loki’s head.

Ravonna’s office

Ravonna has hang ups from failing with Sylvie. Who she is and what she knows is going to be interesting.

Heck I just realised are Mobius’ lapels not real? They look fake.

I wonder whether the “mastermind” thing was foreshadowing the next ep.

Am I the only one who thinks this isn’t the first Loki Mobius has dealt with? Could that mean there’s a reunion next ep?!

“Variant pet.” There’s a culture of dehumanising variants within the TVA.

The cuts showing both B-15 and Mobius’ faces reminds me of ep 1, but now there’s a new angle to things. B-15 certainly sees things differently.

Time Theatre 25

Lady Sif would kill with short hair. Or long hair. It’s Lady Sif, she’s a badass.

Loki’s exhale reminds me of how he tenses before a fight.

Notable things about this scene:

Heavy use of metaphors to trade jabs.

The lights are shifting in a consistent pattern, scanning the room almost.

Shots are constantly moving and cutting.

Loki’s speech pattern changes when he’s lying. Nice touch there.

When they start arguing in earnest, the shots are close ups of their faces, not circling around each other.

Loki was at first willing to talk to Mobius if he was treated with respect, the way they engaged in episode 2. He also wants to trust that Mobius won’t kill him. Mobius dismisses him (rightly so, his trust is gone) and Loki’s pride about ‘not working for anyone’ gets in the way rather than listening to each other. Loki’s behaviour is cyclic and his lying about Sylvie affirms Mobius’s understanding that Loki won’t (or maybe can’t) change. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Mobius is a Loki, the man’s uncannily good at reading him. He deduces that Loki and Sylvie have a bond and unsettles Loki to get answers out of him, because he knows that’s the only way he can force Loki to reveal his cards. He definitely wasn’t expecting Loki’s earlier admission to be the truth. What Mobius did was not right, but it sure was effective.

“No. Not partners.” I believe this. They had an understanding, but their goals differ. Maybe just give Sylvie her own show.

“Guess you don’t do partners.” MOBIUS WHY ARE YOU SO BUTT-HURT? Probably to make Loki feel bad ik, but it’s still funny to think Lightning McQueen is salty.

That memory really hurt Loki. He stuttered.

Loki fixates on Sylvie rather than his own freedom. This was the cue to Mobius to start interrogating.

Bruh, the feeling they were experiencing better be friendship.

This made me uncomfortable because I was so sure we weren’t gonna get a romantic subplot that I related the characters to my actual family relationships. Marvel. Why?

The music combined with Mobius’ subtle shift in demeanor from irritated to mockery was very unsettling to me. I never realised how good an actor Owen Wilson was.

“Our interests are aligned.” Once Mobius tells him the truth, Loki does the same. I really hope this is the extent of their relationship. Just let them recognise one another as equals. Please Marvel.

Mobius’ hands twitching, the slight swallow. Yeesh, he certainly doesn’t think Loki’s lying, but he’s not about to accept it.

Loki’s head shake is sad. He knows he can’t convince Mobius.

“That I can respect. I mean the lies you tell yourself.” This was the best writing imo. Loki doesn’t make any final attempts to connive his way out of the situation because telling the truth to someone he’d trusted had failed. He willingly walks into the Time Cell.

Time Theater 47

B-15 being unable to support herself, having to rely on the structures around her to stay upright. This woman deserves so much y’all.

WE NEED HER NAME MARVEL.

You better appreciate her beyond shipping her with Sylvie or istg.

The music is so mournful. It just emphasises how much everything changing is going to hurt not only the main characters. Lives change because of the TVA and the events of this episode, it’s not overlooked by the writing or music.

The poster and the 1984 parallels. Exquisite!

Sylvie not sitting straight made me snort.

Ravonna Renslayer’s office

More Theremin music! This time I’m pretty sure it’s Carnival of the Animals, XIII. Le Cygne (the Swan) : Le carnaval des animaux: No. 12, Le cygne (arr. For theremin and piano) by Clara Rockmore.

Fun fact! Clara Rockmore influenced theremin music and the instrument and was a virtuoso of the instrument. Give her a google, it’s worth it. Also look up Leon Theremin, he was (among other things) a Soviet spy. There’s a great Wiki spiral for anyone there.

Mobius was probably being lined up for a high position in the TVA. Damn.

TemPads are personal, or have different levels of clearance.

Mobius didn’t stop interrogating Ravonna throughout that scene. He knew that she wasn’t telling him the whole truth.

Sleight of hand wasn’t shown how Loki and Sylvie do it, they didn’t use misdirection.

Ravonna knows something is up with Mobius. Maybe he hasn’t been around for long if this is his ‘career case’.

The pacing becomes really fast like in the end of episode 2 as conflicts get resolved. Buckle up comrades.

2050 Roxxcart Disaster

I don’t have much to add, it’s a powerful scene.

They use close ups whenever a truth bombshell is dropped.

The music varies considerably between these scenes, each one has a different tone.

“We’re the same.” With what she knows of B-15, Sylvie knew not to be smug when delivering the news about B-15’s life.

B-15 crying in the rain hurts.

“I looked happy.”

TVA archives, Time Cell, Time Theater 25

The floor opposite Mobius is FE3, above it is 3FG.

Oh Mobius.

C-20 deserved better, I'd love to see her later in the series.

The music goes from mournful to harsh and we’re left in silence when it cuts to the Time Cell.

“You told me to shut up.” Loki can be salty sometimes.

“Do you really think you deserve to be alone?” Mobius is rattled, he wants to unsettle Loki.

The music starts to build somewhere between “...your connection... “ and Loki saying “‘WE?’”

The faint tinkling reminds me of the Avatar (blue people) score.

“How about the word of a friend?” This is Loki’s olive branch. When he admits Loki was right, their trust is tentatively reinstated.

The music is finally back to that chaotic theme we know. I think it’s the TVA’s theme.

“You can be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean just in case anyone ever told you different.” Mobius corrects what he says in the first ep.

They are friends y’all I’m so sad.

Mobius can lie through his teeth like it’s nobody’s business.

Pruning hurts, Mobius’ face is in agony.

Loki’s tears. GIVE THEM ALL JETSKIS.

Ravonna takes a moment to compose herself.

Time Keepers (the final smackdown)

Why are the last 10 minutes always so insane?

Loki’s eyes only show hurt. I’ll leave.

Ravonna’s so sharp, she instantly catches Sylvie’s wet hair.

All of our expectations from the trailers always get yeeted out of a window because the scenes are never really what we think they are. I get that that should be expected but it’s refreshing that the writing is never what we think it is.

Did anyone else notice the egg timer/infinity sign murals on one of the hallways to the left of Sylvie?

Ravonna is so cold (and yet I’d simp for her).

The M.C. Escher staircases I see you set designers/CGI folks.

B-15 just gets knocked out. They better not kill her for no reason or I riot.

I’m pretty sure that Sylvie ripped off one of Ravonna’s TVA badges (or buttons) when she fought her.

Sylvie’s the better fighter, she’s had to use it more often though.

The elevator doors stay open.

It would be so funny if we get an elevator scene where Sylvie is just dragging Ravonna somewhere.

They really led us on with the Time Keepers, particularly the middle one. I was somewhat convinced there’d be something more to it. I’m interested to see where it goes.

Ep 4 review

I really don’t have much to add with these last two episodes. I’ve definitely come to appreciate that no matter whether you liked the writing of the show or not, it’s never what you expect. Is that a good thing? I guess that that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, I appreciate how much effort went into this series. It’s been a fun romp, I’ll be back with my reviews of the final episodes. I’ll also stop posting Loki content to my blog because the Gods know that my followers don’t read this lol.

I’m just going to survive until the season is over and then hopefully keep my sanity together until the next Marvel content or at least Dr. Strange.

Here's the link to my episode 3 review.

Thank you all for being here, you're wonderful my loves.

#loki #loki series #loki review #loki (2021)#loki spoilers #spoilers #man how is this fandom gonna cope? By fixating on other TV shows? Good luck lads.#I'm gonna go buy milk at this point #they better not mess with B-15 or istg #B-15 deserves none of this #give mobius a jetski #and give loki therapy #and Sylvie too pls my babies need rest.#boy if Mobius is a Loki variant I'm going to grab my popcorn because the circus that this fandom will turn into will be legendary

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lovinlikeloki · 3 years ago

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The Lone Wolf (Intermission)

Masterlist // Act I Interview

Word Count: 1.9k

ROSE HARRIS, A COMIC FAN’S DREAM COME TRUE

- “I never thought I would go from Story of Miss Oxygen to this!”

BY FAITH PRICE

Going from small independent films to one of the biggest movie franchises is a dream come true, right? Well Rose Harris could certainly tell you. She went from being someone nearly nobody knew to one of the biggest names on our screens practically overnight. Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the one and only Fianna MacBhfloscaidh, Harris has become an idol for many people very quickly.

While most people know her for her part in Captain America: Civil War which hit the silver screen only a few months ago on 26 April, Harris has been in a couple of short films like Story of Miss Oxygen and even portrayed the lead character in Daughter. She also has a main character role in a new Netflix series currently being filmed named 13 Reasons Why. Needless to say, Rose Harris is a very busy girl and I was very lucky to get the chance to interview her.

FAITH: WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO JOIN SUCH A FAMOUS FRANCHISE? HOW WAS THE RESPONSE TO YOUR FIRST BIG MOVIE BEING ONE IN THE MCU?

Rose Harris: It was amazing. Joining such a big franchise with a huge cast was very daunting at first, I mean these guys are practically a family so it felt weird and almost intruding at first. But then Lizzie came over and started talking to me, uh she reminded me she was in this place only a year ago and kinda eased me into meeting everyone. As for the response, it was huge, I mean my follower count skyrocketed within like a day. I never thought I would go from Story of Miss Oxygen to this! It was really exciting.

SO I HAVE TO ASK, WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FIANNA’S, AND YOUR, ENTRANCE AND FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE MCU? WHAT ABOUT FAN OPINIONS?

Well, personally I loved it, I mean it was- I think it was pretty cool that, um, they made sure that she knew Wanda and like the Maximoff twins beforehand, that was always going to be a big thing. I really liked it, it was fun and very Fianna, I think. As for the fans? It’s almost a 50/50 split when it comes to their opinions, especially the fans of the original comics.

As you’ve probably seen, Fianna’s entrance has a lot of parallels to Peter Parker’s who is also introduced in this movie, which is what divided fans. For, ah, Spideywolf fans, I believe that’s what they’re called, people who pair Fianna and Peter Parker together, they were ecstatic and love to point out the similarities. But then on the other hand, Silverwolf fans, people who pair Fianna and Pietro Maximoff together, they weren’t as big of fans of this. I think it’s because in the comics they were the endgame pairing.

YOU THINK THEY DON’T LIKE THAT THEY’RE NOT ADHEREING TO THE COMICS?

Oh for sure. I mean as I said, Fianna and Pietro, they... they- in almost every comic series you read with the two, they end up together and Pietro seems to be pretty dead right now in the MCU. He- with all of those bullet holes he looks very not alive [she laughs], at the moment. And so in their eyes this is Marvel and the writers straying from the comics, as you said.

I guess they’re now left wondering how far from the comics we’re gonna go, because I mean she’s already a mercenary. Before the names Fenrir or Lupine is even uttered, she’s a mercenary, with zero Wolves Den, uh, context. So many comics are being ignored at this point, and that’s even disregarding her mutant and X-Men origins.

YOU MENTIONED THE WOLVES DEN COMIC SERIES, WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT STORYLINE? IS IT SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE FUTURE OF THE MCU?

I think that Wolves Den is probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite Fianna comic series. It’s very, I don’t know how to put this, it’s very chaotic. I mean there’s three different storylines to follow, the romantic one, the team one and then the villain one.

You’ve got the romantic one, Fianna and Peter’s storyline, I mean Fianna... she really messes Peter up in this series, emotionally. She does cheat on him, they break up and then she gets together with Harry Osborn, I mean it’s so very messy. Then there’s the subplot where she leaves the Avengers, she breaks off not only from Peter but also from Natasha Romanoff who she is extremely close to in this universe, I mean they’ve got a mother-daughter bond. Instead she becomes a mercenary where she goes by the monikers of Fenrir and Lupine, going between the two to keep the team of heroes off her back.

And while she’s doing this she’s also fighting off a villain by the name of Discord, someone from Fianna’s past, who is trying to take over and attack the minds of people in New York. She does all this at the same time, and it’s just a very chaotic, discordant series.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING FOR HER IN THIS SERIES?

Definitely the way she has to balance all of this, I mean she has so many different masks and personas and she has got everyone fooled. With Peter she’s the remorseless cheating ex-girlfriend, for Harry Osborn she’s the new rebellious girlfriend, for the Avengers and especially, as I said, Natasha she’s a traitor who abandoned them.

Then she’s also got this act of being a good guy even with the mercenaries. She really walks that tightrope between good and bad in these comics and is really morally grey and quite neutral. And she does all of this because she’s trying to protect everyone, or at least that’s her mindset. She’s leaving the Avengers, leaving Peter because she thinks it would save the heartache if something were to happen to her.

I think this is where we see how different Fianna is from the Avengers, because we see that she has the most self-preservation instincts out of all of the Avengers. She is always about protecting herself, she knows that to take care of others she needs to take care of herself first but it’s getting a little warped in her mind when it comes to how to do that.Most of the Avengers work themselves to the bone, lookat Tony Stark and Peter Parker, their mental health isn’t great at the best of times whereas Fianna doesn’t do what they do. She knows she needs to take a step back sometimes to take care of her before she can do her job.

[Rose then seemed to realise how long she spoke]

Sorry, I sort of went on a tangent, I’m sorry. I just love the storyline. Though some of it is a little too dark for the way the MCU currently is.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, I’M SURE THE FANS WILL LOVE YOUR TAKE ON THE WOLVES DEN STORYLINE.

I’m sorry [she smiles bashfully]

NOW I HAVE TO ASK, WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF PLAYING FIANNA?

The most difficult part? I wanna say the stunts but actually I think it was more the dialogue, more specifically the accent and the language because it is definitely not all in English, you know, some of it was in Irish. Yeah, like learning- well no, I didn’t learn Irish for the movie because it’s... learning a language is difficult and... there’s actually a lot of grammar rules and stuff, to Irish.

I mean it’s crazy, if you’ve ever seen Irish written down and then heard it spoken you will know that it does not sound the way it look like at all. And the same combination of letters can make different sounds based on like- I think it’s the vowel changes the sound, it’s crazy. But it’s really cool, it’s such a cool language.

YOU DID AMAZING AT SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE, MANY FANS WERE IMPRESSED.

I was so lucky to have Ciarraí Quinn, she was, uh, she helped me with the accent, the dialect and the language. She was such a help with the accent because Fianna doesn’t have the accent you think of when talking of an Irish accent she has the Northern Irish accent. It’s kind of like a mix of Irish accent and maybe, some English too? I’m not sure how to describe it. It was very difficult to get down but thanks to Ciarraí I did manage to get it.

Also on the side of the language, it was really hard to not butcher it, like I said pronounciation in Irish is a little strange and I did struggle with it quite a bit. Not only did I have to learn the pronounciation but I had to make sure I had the perfect Native speaker accent from Fianna’s region.

I remember there was a line that Fianna said to Tony Stark while she was in the raft and to get not only the line, but to get the accent and the anger and pain and emotion into it, it took a long time to properly say it and to be satisfied with it. The very specific Native accent was so important because Fianna comes from an Irish speaking home, it’s her first language, and she even goes to one of the few all-Irish speaking schools. I really loved this aspect of Fianna and I really do love playing and portraying such a unique character.

THERE WAS A SCENE AT THE END OF CIVIL WAR THAT YOU HAD WITH CHRIS WHERE YOU BOTH SPOKE IN IRISH. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FILMING THAT?

Oh, yeah, a lot of fans seemed to love that scene and I did too, as did chris. It was really fun to film that scene so it was, we must have run over the lines a hundred times to make sure we’d get it right. This was something Chris and I wanted to make sure stayed in the movie, um... because it was almost cut from the script since the runtime was getting a little long but we fought to keep it in, we felt it was important.

Something a lot of people don’t know is that Captain America, Steve Rogers, he... his mother was an Irish immigrant. Based on the time she would’ve immigrated she most likely spoke the language fluently and would’ve spoke it at home with little baby Steve.

So that short scene, that little bit of dialogue meant a lot to Native speakers, Irish learners and even just second generation immigrants from anywhere. That’s why Chris and I fought so hard to keep it in the movie, the representation.

JUST BEFORE WE GO CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE IN THE MCU?

Anything about my and Fianna’s future in the MCU? Let’s see, I’ve got a contract for quite a few things. Umm... there’s a couple of movies starring Fianna coming soon. She brings with her her own posse of characters and maybe a couple of others as well. Annddd I think that’s all I can say.

THAT’S ALL YOU CAN SAY?

I think that’s all I can say before someone comes in and like forcefully removes me from the room [she smiles widely, holding back a laugh] either that or you’ll end up with recording footage missing or a trained sniper will shoot me through that window [she points, laughing again] Feige will do anything to keep as much quiet as he can for as long as he can.

#peter parker x oc #peter parker x reader #spiderman x oc #spiderman x reader #peter parker #fianna machbhfloscaidh #the lone wolf #the lupine saga #jynx writes

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thorne93 · 5 years ago

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Unforeseen Chasm (Part 56)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count:1991

Warnings: Language, infinity war plot continues, Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

Masterlist for Unforeseen Chasm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you have a plan?” Loki asked, as if he felt you already had one. The two of you stood in your apartment. It was eerily quiet and calm. Part of you wanted to stay in there where it was seemingly safe. You just wanted to grab Loki, wrap your arms around him, and pretend like none of this awfulness was happening. But you knew that was wrong. The universe needed you, both of you. Vision needed you.

“No. I don’t,” you answered shakily.

“Then what are we do--”

“I don’t know, okay? They can help Strange with the time stone. We need to get to Vision and warn him.” It was hard to keep the absolute panic out of your voice. Thanos… you’d escaped him once, but that was just barely. You knew it wouldn’t happen again, not now that he had two stones. He was about to complete his mission.

“And then what?”

“Then we fight. We protect Vision, and the rest of the stones at all costs. Loki, he can not get those stones, you know as well as I do life will cease to exist,” you pleaded.

“I know. Call Steve,” he said and you frowned ever so slightly. Loki had never, ever called him by any of his names. It was either Captain, or The Patriot.

But he knew this was serious. It was no time to beat around the bush or be clever.

Finally, the spell broke on you of the horror that snaked through both of you and you called him.

“Hello?” His voice sounded wary.

“Steve? Steve, it’s Y/N. Do you know where Vision is?”

“I may have an idea, why? What’s going on?”

“Thanos, the guy that took Loki and me? Brainwashed us. He’s coming to Earth. He may already be here. He’s sending his minions to find the infinity stones. One of them is already in New York, with Strange. Tony, Shannon, and Wong are helping protect it. Vision has the other one. Thanos already has two. He can’t get these other ones, Steve. He just can’t. He will end life as we know it.”

“Alright. What do you need me to do?”

“Get to Vision. Tell me where he is. I can help protect him.”

“He’s in Scotland. Glasgow. They’re staying at a hotel in downtown. Hang on… Grand Central Hotel.”

“Okay. Meet you there. Hurry. Call him if you can.”

“Will do.”

With that, you hung up and turned to Loki.

“We need to get to Scotland. Fast.”

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

You were able to take one of Tony’s jets and use its near supersonic speed to get you to Scotland in a matter of a few hours. You found the hotel but Vision, and you were assuming Wanda, weren’t there. You began walking the streets, hoping to find them, or Steve, when you suddenly you heard a scream.

Shit.

You and Loki took off running toward the sound. Only to find Wanda get catapulted into a store window and Corvus Glaive slam a scepter down onto Vision’s head, trying to draw out the stone.

“Hey, fuck bag!” you yelled, your dark energy flowing out of you, hitting him and knocking him off of Vision. Proxima raised her spear and chucked it at you but Loki caught it just before it hit you and he hurled it back at her, knocking her to the ground.

“Go!” you screamed to Wanda and Vision. She nodded, grabbing Vision with her power and going over the tops of buildings. “You gotta go through me, Corvus,” you said with a smirk.

“Too easy,” he said as he charged at you but you raised your hands and electrified him but he raised his spear and shot a spark of power at you knocking you off your feet. Loki tried to keep Proxima busy but at one point, they got away from both of you, fighting Wanda and Vision all over the city, on rooftops. By the time you flew up to the rooftop though, they were already fighting towards a glass ceiling, several feet away from you.

They crashed into a train station where you finally caught up to them, only to find Vision badly hurt, Wanda trying to protect him, and Steve across the tracks. You smiled at him and he stepped forward.

Natasha and Sam suddenly burst onto the scene, where Natasha stabbed Corvus in the stomach and you wanted to applaud her, but now was not the time. The three of them worked to fight Proxima and Corvus until Corvus lied on the ground and he couldn’t stand.

“We don’t want to kill you, but we will,” Natasha said as you approached them.

“You’ll never get the chance again,” she promised, which lit a fire inside you.

A beam of light came down and retrieved them, making you turn to Nat angrily. “You should’ve killed them.”

“What good would it have done?” she challenged.

“You have no idea what’s coming,” you said with accusation. “If we have any flicker of hope against Thanos, we can’t let his army get back to him.”

“I killed one of them, what more do you want?”

“I want every one who is in alliance with Thanos dead,” you deadpanned as you got close to her.

“Alright, alright, take it easy,” Steve ordered gently before getting between you and Natasha.

“I can’t, Steve. The fate of the universe depends on us stopping him. We can’t let any of them go.”

“Well, I didn’t see you taking any fatal shots,” he remarked. The comment made you stiffen and sigh. He was right, and that destroyed you. This was your fault they were alive too. “Alright. Now we need to get back to base.”

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

Steve, you, Nat, Vision, Wanda, and Loki walked into the Avengers Compound. Rhodey had been talking to Secretary Ross, the same man who sent most of your friends to jail.

You immediately found Shannon. She was standing at a table, mumbling to herself. You didn’t see Tony and your heart skipped a beat. You approached her, bracing for whatever she was about to tell you.

“Look who's back!” She rushed to you and the others. “Are you guys alright?” She pulled back from hugging you and looked to see who needed healing. “Come here Wanda, let me get rid of that cut.” She got closer and cleared the cut leaving a little irritation.

You shook your head. “Shan, where’s Tony? Stephen?” Your heart was pounding, waiting for an answer, fearing the absolute worse.

She looked over to you and she held her chest and her eyes began to water. “Ton-Tony’s up in space and I lost signal,” she wiped her tears. “He went after Peter to get him off the ship and figure out what their plan was.”

You stood there baffled. “Wait. Shan,” you started, feeling a panic attack coming on. “Back up. How the hell did Tony wind up on that ship? And Peter? Parker? The fucking kid? He’s on the ship? And Stephen…” You choked down a sob. “Tell me they’re not all lost in space with that fucking Squidward asshole… What happened?”

“One moment the three of us are fighting Maw and keeping Bruce safe, the next Peter swings in out of nowhere and is helping. Tony had him go after Maw because he took Strange and the time stone,” she was shaking really hard as she spoke. “Tony rushed after the two of them and had to enter the ship to get to them and I lost the signal once they were too far away.”

It felt as if all the blood had drained from you. “Stephen… is in the hands of Maw? With Tony and Peter and we can’t get ahold of them?” You started to really break down until Loki ran over and wrapped his arms around you, shushing you. He stroked your hair and kissed your head before pushing you slightly away from him.

“Love, I know you're scared, but we have a problem. We need to address it, now,” he reminded softly, but sternly.

“You’re right,” you agreed, swallowing your tears. “Shannon,” you said before wrapping her in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. We’ll find Tony, alright? We need to find Thanos first. He’s our main objective. Those three can handle that idiot Maw, okay?” You rubbed her arm, trying to keep her calm and refocus her, just as Loki had done for you.

“I know Y/N, there goes Tony again doing something crazy.” she tried to laugh but it made her cry more. “You’re right we need to focus.” In that instant she focused up and was in mission mode. “Alright this is what we know so far…” she went off to explain what she knew and let Steve continue.

“Alright, Y/N, Loki, you two spent the most time with Thanos out of everyone here, what does he want? What are we looking at?” Steve demanded once all the troops were rounded up. Bruce went to get cleaned up and Pietro had to be retrieved from his place in hiding.

“The biggest army in the universe,” you said without hesitation. “The only reason we didn’t win in New York is because subconsciously we didn’t want to. I’m not saying that to start a pissing contest. I’m stating it as a fact. With Thanos army alone, a monkey could win, but we didn’t want to.”

“Could’ve fooled us,” Rhodey remarked and you made a face of chagrin.

“So what’s his mission? What does he want?”

“Annihilation. He wants to gather all six infinity stones and with the snap of his fingers, he can wipe out half of all life across the universe.” After Charles had removed your brainwashing a long time ago, he’d also somehow restored the memories of Thanos’s plans that you’d overheard time and time again on Sanctuary. Thanos probably removed them to make sure you didn’t betray him in any way. Now though, that knowledge was extremely useful and caused you no pain to remember it. You told the Avengers everything you could to help them. He had to be stopped at any and all costs.

“And he already has two,” Steve realized.

“Which is more than anyone has ever had, except for Loki and myself when we had the Tesseract and the scepter, but even then, they were in vessels. Now, the mind stone is on Vision’s head and Thanos crushed the tesseract to get the space stone,” you explained.

“But back in New York we didn’t have Wanda or Vision,” Nat started. “Plus you and Loki are on our side now, right?”

“Of course,” you said as if it was obvious. “You’ll have me, Shannon, and the rest of you. We have a chance, a better chance… but if we are facing Thanos himself… he’s like a rabid dog when it comes to these stones. He won’t stop until he has them all even Vision’s,” you solemnly told them as you peered at Wanda and Vision.

They looked back at you with a look like they didn’t want to believe you but they knew that you were telling the truth.

“Then we have to protect it,” Natasha responded.

“No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps… its molecular integrity could fail,” Vision suddenly said, aiming it at Wanda.

“And you, with it. We're not having this conversation,” she remarked.

The next few minutes were spent debating on whether or not Vision’s stone had to be destroyed. You didn’t weigh in on the matter. This was Vision and Wanda’s choice.

Finally, Bruce concluded that perhaps Wakanda would have the resources they needed to extract the stone, so that’s where everyone headed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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@superwholocked527 @missinstantgratification @thejemersoninferno @rda1989 @munlis @thefridgeismybestie @bubblyanarocks3 @igiveupicantthinkofausername @kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr @kaelingoat-blog @friendlyneighbourhoodweirdo @damalseer @heyitscam99 @yknott81 @sorryimacrapwriter @glitterquadricorn @xxqueenofisolationxx @little-dis-kaalista-pythonissama @bittersweetunicorm @alyssaj23 @sea040561 @princess76179 @thisismysecrethappyplace @sarahp879 @malfoysqueen14 @ellallheart @breezy1415 @marvelmayo @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @cocosierra94 @hardcollectionworldtrash @capsmuscles @marvelloushamilton @paintballkid711

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UC: @lokis-high-priestess

#unforeseen chasm #loki fic #loki x reader #Loki Laufeyson #tony stark #tony stark fic #tony stark x ofc #bruce banner #mentions of peter parker #rhodey #natasha #wanda #vision #mentions of pietro #mentions of dr strange #steve rogers #mentions of thanos

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c-atm · 4 years ago

Text

Fighting Flirty: Character Select PT4 (Act3.7)

"Well, Look who finally showed up!" Wanda exclaimed as the duo walked up. "I heard that you guys were having your own little photo-shoot without my equipment." She folded her arms and sneered in jest. "That hurts my pride, you two." Her eyes glanced at Connie in the Asuka outfit. "Though seeing such a body in some of my merchandise makes up for it."

Steven's eyebrow arched in slight envy as Connie gave Wanda a smug smile.

"Why, thank you." A slightly flirty tone laced her voice as she tipped her cap. "I think it looks good on me too."

"Then I can Imagine how our resident Shinji feels." The witch teased getting a smirk from Steven.

"What's there to say, that hasn't been said."He shrugged. " She makes angry psychotic breaks hot." He chucked as Connie gave him a gentle elbow into his gut.

"Hey now, Steven." She smirked.

"Hey nothing. You're the one who said I make 'depression' sexy."

"I stand by that claim."

'Hmm..Did something happen?' Wanda observed as she watched their antics. There was a certain lack of passion and a bit more reservation in their tones and smirks. She shook her head as she turned her direction toward the set up behind her.

"Ok you two, let's get this shoot going shall we?" Wanda suggested. "Who's going first?"

"That would be me." Connie announced with her hand raised.

"Ooo, now that's a treat. Get over there."

Connie gave Steven a quick grin before walking forward, passed Wanda and the camera set up and up onto the 'Main Stage'.

The 'Main Stage', usually a revolving platform surrounded by mirrors, had a more traditional set up. Most of the mirrors were removed except for four full body ones each corner of the seven foot wide, circular revolving stage. The backdrop was.a green screen that stretched over the revolving platform stopping at the mirrors edge. Studio led lights towered over the mirrors and peered downward towards the stage making it bright but not blindingly so and thanks to the central air of the whole studio it was at a comfortable temperature. All in all it definitely made her feel like she was the center of attention, which made her feel a bit anxious.

'Oh this is, more than expected.' Connie looked at each of the mirror's perspective of her and slightly grimaced at her reflections as a bit of self-consciousness slipped in. ' I..I should have probably asked Alex for some makeup...I wished he told me how much he planned for this..didn't think I would get professional shots done. I feel a bit overwhelmed..What if the shots don't come out well.' Her face started heating up as Steven comments and actions in the dressing room played in her head."Though, he did say I looked hot." She grinned a bit looking up.

"Admiring yourself?"

She turned to see Steven walking up to her camera in hand, a slight grin on his face.

"Admiring the set up." She stated before narrowing her eyes.at his grin. "You didn't take a candid shot, did you?"

Steven scoffed at his companion, putting his finger tips to his chest. "To think that you would accuse me. Your Biscuit, your Mister, your man; of taking a shot of you unaware and behind you back. With this professional camera," he held up the black device in his right hand, "for shame Heartberry. For shame."

"You definitely did ."

"But I used my phone."

She chuckled as he brought out the smartphone and handed it to her, showing her the picture. It was of her looking up at the set up. He hands folded behind her back, her left foot on her toes, a small smile on her face and the lights reflecting in her black eyes.

'Admittedly, that's a nice shot.' her musing thoughts were interrupted when she felt him pull her close to him with his left hand on her navel, pressing her back to his chest while holding the camera above them with his right. She rested her left hand on top of his while rubbing his whiskered chin with her right sticking out her tongue towards the camera to go along with his flirty grin.

With a press of a button, the camera clicked with a quick flash of light and temporarily strained their eyes.

"Ok, flash was stronger than expected." Steven chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. "Sorry about that Heartberry." He blinked multiple times, getting his focus back.

"You're fine, Mister." Connie reassured as she blinked a few times herself.

"Want some help with that, heal your eyes like that one time?" He joked.

Connie blinked again but on emotion based reflex. "Uhm... I would but we lack a drink." Shyness gripped her throat as she spoke.

"Ah, that's true" Steven rubbed the back of his head. "Guess direct contact is our only choice."

"Guess so." Connie breathed deeply as she closed her eyes.

Steven palms gently pressed against other cheeks getting a reflexive grin from her. "Smiley." He teased before placing gentle butterfly kisses on her eyelids. Getting a giggle from the young woman. "Better?"

"Uh-uh." She held his hands in place, keeping her eyes close. "I think you need to try again."

"Oh, really." He heard the anxiousness under the flirting before kissing her cheeks tenderly. "Better?"

She bit the corner of her lip, holding back a giggle. "Getting there." her tone, more relaxed and teasing.

"Getting there, huh?" He whispered closed to her lips.

His breath tickled her, bringing a little heat to her face. As she massaged the back of his hands with her palm." Uh-huh."

"Let me help you along then. "

She snickered as he laid his lips upon her. His slightly wet lips met her soft chapped in a sweet kiss.

Her hands slipped to his wrist as the kiss deepened from a simple pressing peck to a clipping lip lock capturing his upper lip between hers own while he did the same with her bottom.

The gentle feel of the mutual suckling upon each other's lips. The tight protectiveness of his arms around her waist and palms on her seat. The looping of her arms under his own grip on his shoulders, pulling him closer as she asked for and was granted access into his mouth with her tongue, evoking a love filled hum from her.

They released the oral action with a soft 'chu' as they held each other in a swaying embrace ignited by a feeling of understanding between them.

"Better?" He whispered warm-heartedly into her shoulder.

"My eyes are, yeah." She nuzzled a bit closer. "I don't think you're talking about that, though."

"You're right."He sighed, feeling her stroke his locks. "You looked unsure up here..Kind of scared."

"Been awhile since I've been in the spotlight like this. Guess i'm a little nervous.."

She turned to the mirror looking at their costumed reflections, her sight lingering on his form. "Kind of feel below par for such a professional shoot. Unlike you, handsome."

Steven turned to her with an arched eyebrow. "You are gorgeous, you know that right, Berry."

"Hmm, what you mean in costume?"

Steven smirked "Oh you're wearing that plugsuit much better than the actual character," He praised while kissing her cheek "but.. I was talking about in general.

"Well you did say I make 'psychotic breaks' Hot." She jested.

"And I stand by that." He smirked. "Jokes aside,the pictures are gonna come out fine..better than fine." He gazed at her lovingly. "They're gonna be extraordinary because " He gave her a quick peck. " For one, I'm taking them and you know I won't make you look bad."

"I trust you to make me look beautiful, yes." She massaged that back of his ear, getting an appreciative snarl.

"You already are and I got evidence of your photogenic allure to prove it. " He shook his phone with a grin before whispering in her ear.

Connie's face turned maroon at his words, and her grin grew as she turned to his lecherous smirk. "Really? You want a shot like that."

Steven shrugged as he pursed his lips. "Not like I don't have one..It just you'll be in different costumes instead of my shirt and short shorts"

"True enough." She whispered, giving him a squeeze ."Thanks, Mister. For making me feel better." She kissed and smiled against his temple.

He nuzzled into her shoulder "I said nothing that was a lie..Your beautiful Connie"

"I'll take your word for it." She sighed. "Still.Though... After the awkwardness in the room..I guess it kind of made anxious to impress you." She moaned in embarrassment.

"You don't have to try to impress me, Connie." He chuckled. "Though I kind of feel the same." He admitted. "Can't help but want to impress the one you love, right?"

"Oh,Steven." She gasped.

"I know, Berry...We'll figure it out, later."

"Promise?"

"Of course." The two shared a kiss to seal the promise before he moved to press his forehead against hers,

The inadequacy and uncertainty from before, easing down by the sound of each other's breathing, the sensation of each other's touch, the warmth of each other's affection.

"I love you." their dual whispers was followed by a duet of silent chuckles as the weight on their hearts was lessened a little.

*Click!*

They both turned to the sound of a camera, took their attention. Releasing each other in the process.

"I'm sorry. It was just..You two are perfect together." Alex apologized, camera in her hand. "I had to take the shot."

"Come on, now." Steven complained as he glared at Alex halfheartedly. "That was something a little private."

"Sorry...I...I'll delete it." Alex offered in remorse.

"Don't." Connie stated. "It's fine," She reassured the receptionist.

"You sure?"

"Yeah.. Like you said. You saw something worth taking a shot at." She interlocked her left hand with The man beside her, getting a surprised glance. " We can relate to that." She smiled giving his hand a kiss and a squeeze. "Right?"

Steven's face glowed pink at her actions but soon settled as a bright smile grace his face, "Of course.When something that worth it comes along, you gotta take your shot. "before facing Alex.

"Oh.. Cool." Alex grinned in excitement. "So since that is the case..How about we start with the couple shots? Sure your friends would enjoy them as well."

"Yeah sure." Connie agreed.

"We can begin whenever you two are ready."

The two looked at each other. Identical grins as the feelings of anxiousness was now matched with the feeling excitement. Both were eager to know exactly what the other wanted.. and scared about how things would change, now that the term 'love' was out there, but they trust the person standing by them enough to navigate and work through the inevitable changes in their companionship.

"Ready for this, Heartberry?" Steven smiled gently, his question having a double meaning.

"Yup. Ready if you are, Mister." Connie answered in a similar tone, as she gave his hand a loving squeeze.

Both surprised and elated at how true and freeing the answer was.

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