#don’t make me remind you all of why ned died

[darylandbethfanforever9]

If Jacaerys had ascended the throne, I have no doubt his younger brother Aegon III would try to take the throne.

We spent 8 seasons watching how everybody south and north of the wall scorned Jon for being a bastard and how even the doubt of the future king being illegitimate (while having the very plausible excuse of looking like his mother) burst a giant war where almost everybody dies and now we are supposed to believe Rhaenyra putting bastards (that don’t even look like her) on the throne has no political repercussions whatsoever?

[waitimcomingtoo]

hoax ~ p.p

chapter five: stranger danger

series masterlist

��I just found our spring break plans.” Kate announced and slammed a flier down in the middle of the table.

“Barcelona? But this says we have to be in the Spanish club.” MJ said as she read the flier.

“So let’s all unir the Spanish club and go to Barcelona.” Kate said and sat down at the table.

“Sure. I’d be down.” You shrugged.

“Me too. I don’t know if I told you guys this, but I’m fluent in Spanish.” Gwen said proudly.

“No way! Are you also fluent in French and know a little mandarin too?” MJ asked sarcastically.

“Hey, let the girl brag about how many languages she can speak.” You wrapped your arms around Gwen to defend her.

“Thank you.” Gwen replied. “But back to Kate’s idea, it may just be her first good one. We should go.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Ned asked as he joined the table.

“We were just talking about maybe going to Barcelona for spring break. Why don’t you ask Peter and join us?” You informed him.

“Nah. Peter would never go. And I’m not much of a traveler during spring break. I’m more of a sit an home and play video games kinda guy.”

“Why wouldn’t Peter come?” Kate wondered.

“He won’t go anywhere he’d have to fly to. Not since his parents.” Ned replied.

“Well that wasn’t cryptic and ominous at all.” MJ chuckled. “What happened to his parents?”

“They died in a plane crash when we were kids.” Ned explained, making everyone look at each other in surprise. Peter was so quiet that his dark past came as a shock.

“Huh.” You said as you thought came to you. You couldn’t exactly blurt out that your boyfriends parents died in the exact same way, or that you found it difficult to immediately believe that was just a coincidence.

“What?” Kate asked you when she saw how deep in thought you were.

“Nothing. That just reminds me of something.” You said and waved your hand in dismissal. You stayed deep in thought and didn’t even notice when Peter joined the table. When you finally looked up, you saw that he was wearing a shirt that had some science pun on it. You thought back to the night before and the shirt you never actually saw, but knew said something about electrons and staying positive. Peter had been in such a rush this morning after staying out late at the scene of the crime that he just threw on the first shirt he found on his floor.

“Nice shirt.” You smiled at the sight of it and thought about last night. It had been the perfect evening, until he had to go.

“Oh, thanks.” Peter looked down at his shirt and his heart stopped when he realized what it was. He looked up at you to see if you had connected the dots, but you just thought Peter had the same shirt.

“You like science puns now?” Gwen asked when she read Peters shirt.

“No. But my boyfriend has a similar one.” You said with a coy smile.

“Wait, does that mean you saw him out of the suit?” Kate’s eyes widened.

“I did.” You grinned. “Not his face, though. But I saw his arms. And his room. He’s a total nerd. It’s so cute.”

“He definitely sounds like a nerd. A downright loser, actually.” Ned said as he glared at Peter. Peter avoided eye contact with him, knowing he was upset that you still didn’t know the truth.

“His bedsheets had some rocket ship from Star Wars on them. And they smelled like him. I hope they smelled like me when I left.”

“I bet they did.” Peter said. “And I bet he loved that.”

“I’m assuming you know what his bedsheets look like because you finally lost it to him?” Kate asked and shook your arm in excitement.

“No. I think we got close though. But then he had to go do superhero stuff.”

“Were you disappointed?” Kate asked you.

“No. His job comes first. Plus, before he left, we said “I love you” for the first time. So I didn’t mind that we didn’t go all the way. I still had a really good night.”

Ned looked at Peter when he heard this, but Peters eyes were glued to the floor.

“When are you seeing him next?” Gwen asked.

“Not until Friday. He texted me this morning and said he’s gonna be busy the next few days with patrol.”

“Is he now?” Ned asked, sounding unamused.

“Yeah. I don’t know how he finds the time to do it all. He’s just amazing.” You sighed happily.

“Trust me, he’s not that great.” Ned assured you before giving Peter a look.

“Why do you say that?” You frowned and turned to Ned.

“I just think it’s weird he hasn’t revealed his identity to you yet.” Ned shrugged. “You’ve said “I love you” to each other but you don’t even know his name? How does that make sense?”

“It’s for his and my safety.” You said quietly when you noticed that everyone was nodding in agreement.

“Is your safety any less at risk when you walk down the street holding hands with him in his suit? I think it’s about more than just safety at this point. I think there’s a reason he’s not telling you.”

“What kind of reason?” You frowned.

“Maybe he knows that once you know who he is, you won’t think he’s so great.” Ned shrugged, making Peter look up to check your reaction.

“Is that what you guys think?” You asked the girls.

“It is weird that you’re so committed to this relationship when you don’t even know who he is.” MJ admitted. “He could he lying about his age for all we know. I mean, how much do you really know about who he is?”

“I know him.” You insisted. “I just don’t know what he looks like.”

“But don’t you think it’s strange that he can walk by you on the sidewalk and you would never know?” Kate asked, and the girls nodded in agreement.

“Or sat across from you at lunch?” Ned added. You made eye contact with Peter across the table before shaking your head.

“He’ll tell me when he’s ready.” You said simply.

“But why isn’t he ready? It’s been two months. Why doesn’t he trust you enough to tell you yet?” Ned said while never taking his eyes off Peter.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know him like I do.” You shrugged as you got up from the table.

“Wait, don’t leave. We didn’t mean to upset you. We just want to make sure your heart is safe. We care about you. It’s important to us that he does too.”

“I’m not upset. I just need to think. I’ll catch you guys later.” You said and walked away. You went into the hallway and pulled out your phone to text Peter. His phone buzzed and he exchanged a look with Ned before seeing what you had said.

“Can I call you? It’s important.” You had written.

“I’ll be right back.” Peter said and quickly left the table. He picked up the phone when you called and could immediately tell that you were about to cry.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re probably super busy. I just needed to hear your voice.” You said into the phone.

“It’s okay. I’m not busy. What’s wrong?” He asked you, feeling guilty since he already knew exactly what was wrong.

“It’s my friends. They were getting in my head and filling it with doubts. Doubts about us.” You told him. Peter sighed and looked up at the ceiling as he tried to think of what to do. He could see you from where he was in the hallway and wondered if he should just walk right up to you and tell you.

“Peter?” Ned said from behind him.

“I gotta go.” Peter said quickly and hung up the phone.

“Hello?” You asked into the phone, but he was already gone. You frowned and put your phone in your pocket as tears threatened to spill down your cheeks. You ran into the girls bathroom to freshen up while Ned confronted Peter.

“You didn’t tell her.” Ned said in disappointment.

“I was about to. Last night, I swear, I was. And I still will. But the moment passed and I can’t tell her at school. But please, she’s gonna get suspicious if you keeping saying things like that to her. You need to let me handle this.”

“But you’re not handling this. This has gone on way too long.”

“I know.” Peter sighed. “You’re absolutely right. And I feel horrible about lying to her. I’ll tell her when she comes over Friday, okay? I promise.”

“Okay. But if I text her Saturday morning and she doesn’t know, I’m telling her.” Ned warned.

“You won’t have to. She’ll know.”

Come Friday, you had reapplied your lipgloss a dozen times over the course of 20 minutes because you were so anxious for Peter to arrive. You hadn’t spoken much since telling each other that you loved each other, which worried you profusely. You thought your relationship would be taken to the next level after that, but it instead seemed to take a few steps back. But finally, you heard him knocking at your window and threw it open to greet him.

“Are there any damsels in distress in here?” He asked in a transatlantic accent while climbing through your window.

“Hi stranger.” You giggled and wasted no time in lifted up his mask to kiss him. He kissed you back as you stumbled into your bedroom together. You pushed him onto your bed and kissed every inch of uncovered skin before snuggling into his neck.

“I missed you. We haven’t talked a lot lately.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just been super busy.” He apologized as he rubbed circles on your back.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize for it. Being a superhero comes first. I just miss walking home with you. And all the other stuff we do together.”

“You’ll have to remind me what “other stuff” we used to do. You know, since it’s been so long.” He smiled cheekily and kissed you again. You made out for a little bit until all the thoughts that had been nagging at you fogged your brain up too much to enjoy the kisses.

“I kinda want to talk to you about something. Something my friends brought up.” You said once you pulled away.

“Sure, honey. I turned my radio off for the night. I’m all yours. We can talk about anything.”

In that moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to bring it up. You’d missed him all week and now that he was finally here, you didn’t want to have a heavy conversation. You just wanted to spend some quality time with your boyfriend and not have to get into why he hadn’t told you his identity yet. Partially because you just wanted to have fun tonight, and partially because you worried you might not want to know the answer.

“All mine, you say?” You smiled and kissed him again.

“Uh huh. Did you have any ideas in mind?”

“Remember that time you blindfolded me so I could touch your face?”

“I might remember.”

“Good. I wanna try that again.”

“Okay. And do what?”

Peters question was answered the second he tied the blindfold around you. You climbed into lap and pulled the mask completely off of him, not that you could see anything. Now that you had unlimited access, you were able to run your hands through his curls and feel his eyelashes against your face as he kissed you. You always liked kissing Peter, but it was undeniably better when you could touch his entire face.

“You’re the most beautiful girl in the world. I hope you know that.” Peter said between kisses.

“You make me feel like I am.” You smiled against his lips. He ran his hands up and down your back, the feeling of skin to skin after only touching you through his gloves sending lighting across his body.

“Spidey?” You asked and pulled away.

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right?” You told him. Peter smiled softly and nodded his head.

“I do know that. And I love you too.”

“Okay. I kinda got nervous that I scared you off by telling you that last time.” You admitted through a nervous laugh.

“Scare me off? How?”

“I just got worried when we didn’t talk much this week. I know you’re busy with patrol but you suddenly felt busier than usual. I kinda thought it had something to do with me. And then my friends totally didn’t help and started filling my head with all these doubts about us. I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure we were okay.”

“We are okay. I promise. You could never scare me off.” Peter assured you as he cupped your face.

“Are you sure?” You asked skeptically.

“I’m sure. Nothing you could do could scare me away because I love you most ardently.” He told you and wished he could be looking into your eyes as he said it.

“So you did watch Pride and Prejudice? After I asked you 500 times?” You laughed and traced the outline of his lips the best you could.

“I did. I’d watch anything you tell me to. Even really boring period pieces about adults who can’t communicate.”

“Boring? How dare you call the most painfully romantic movie boring.” You pretended to be offended.

“If you think about it, it was just a bunch of people going to other peoples houses for two hours.” He pointed out, making you laugh.

“I know. But I still love it.”

“And I love you. So I promise, I’m never going anywhere. I’ll be here until the day you tell me to go away. And even then, I’d probably show up at your door every night and beg for you to take me back.” Peter told you.

“You’d never have to do that. Because I’d never leave you either. I think you just might be the great love of my life.”

“You’ve been watching too maybe romance movies.” Peter teased as he pulled you into his arms to kiss the side of your face.

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic.”

“Well, you have a way of making it all feel a lot less hopeless.” Peter said softly before kissing you.

“I love you so much.” You said between kisses.

“I love you too. And think it’s time I tell you that to your face. Using my…face.” Peter squeezed his eyes shut at his lame choice of words and wished he rehearsed that more. He went to pull to pull your blindfold off but you put your hands on his to stop him.

“I actually don’t want to see your face tonight, if that’s okay.” You said with a timid smile.

“You don’t?”

“It’s just, this moment is special. If I see your face now, this moment ends and we move on from it to the moment of the big reveal. But I don’t want this moment to end yet. I want to stay in it as long as possible.”

“Really? You want to wait?”

“Yeah. The moment I see your face and learn your name is going to be huge for us. That deserves its own special day. But this night is flawless. I’ve had all the excitement I can handle. I don’t want to have two big moments in our relationship at once. I want to savor each of them so I can appreciate them fully. Does that make any sense?”

“It does. You can leave it on, if that’s what you want. But are you sure?” He asked as he stared right at you. His mask was off and it was just him, totally bare, asking you to look at him.

“I’m positive. Like an electron, right?” You said through a yawn and laid down on his chest.

“Yeah. Like my shirt.” He chuckled.

“My friend has the same shirt. It made me think of you.” You told him as you started to drift off.

“That wasn’t your friend. That was me.” He whispered, but you were already asleep.

🖤🕸️🖤

Tag list 🏷️

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@katerinaval @tom-hollands-wifey @helen-on-earth

[ravagedarkness]

Spider-Man: Home Rebuilt, Chapter 25: Unequal Footing

There were certain advantages to my living situation. I didn’t have to worry about getting caught while sneaking in through the window of my own place. I get to set my own schedule, for the most part. I get to eat whatever I want. And I didn’t have to worry about a curfew. On paper, that sounded great. And I tend to think it is great… until I remembered how I ended up in my current living situation and the fact that I hated being at home alone.

I told the others I hated my apartment. And that was true to an extent – my previous home wasn’t exactly a luxury penthouse, but even with the nostalgia filter aside, it might as well have been compared to my current home. But if I was to be completely honest with myself, a lot of negative feelings towards the place had less to the do with the place itself and more to do with who wasn’t there.

Aunt May.

After The Spell, there were days I went to bed hoping that, when I wake up, everything would be back to normal and that everything that happened that led to The Spell would be nothing more than a bad dream. And when Aunt May would ask me about the bad dream, I’d tell her… eventually. We’d have our little talk and banter over breakfast before I head to school. I’d hang out with MJ and Ned, and we’d talk about what our plans for senior year would be, from prom, to senior pranks, to going out with a bang with The Academic Decathlon team. And then we’d all move to Boston – Cambridge, rather – and laugh about the articles and news wondering why Spider-Man relocated.

But that never happened. Every day, I’d wake up in my current apartment, and Aunt May wouldn’t be there. Aunt May died, and there was nothing I could do about it. The impact of her death was twofold. It not only meant that I no longer had who was essentially my mother to turn to, it was also a constant reminder of how badly I screwed everything up.

It took me weeks to get to a point where I didn’t have night and days like that. And even then, those came in streaks. My shortest streak was two days. My longest was two weeks.

I was currently on a ten day streak.

I was also inside of MJ’s parents’ apartment. I’ve been there a couple of times, but never for an extended amount of time. I don’t even remember sitting in the living room. This wouldn’t be the day either. I was sitting at the kitchen’s island as Michelle put away our leftovers – she figured we could take it with us to our respective destinations in the morning so we could each have it for lunch later.

“So, before we go to bed, do you want anything to drink?” she asked as she closed the fridge. She turned around and looked at me. “I have water, juice, tea…”

“Do you have any Cocaine?” I jokingly inquired. She tilted her head and gave me a halfhearted glare. “But seriously, what kind of tea you have?”

“Um, let’s see…” she turned and walked up to a cabinet and opened it. She eyed the boxes that were in there. “Other than the caffeinated stuff… I got chamomile, hibiscus, rooibos, and lemon balm.”

I took a moment to think about it. “…I’ll have the one that is your favorite.”

“Rooibos it is.” She grabbed the box and pulled it out of the cabinet. She opened it up and plucked out two sealed bags before she put the box back. After closing the cabinet, she laid the tea bags on the counter and grabbed the tea pot that was already on the stove. She walked over to the sink as lifted up the hinged lid of the pot and placed it under the faucet before she lifted up the faucet’s handle. I watched her all throughout the process. This was new to me, seeing her make tea in person. Of course, I knew she liked tea, and I knew she knew how to make tea. Who doesn’t? And yet, as she filled the kettle, I couldn’t help but feel like seeing her doing this was important to me.

Of course, maybe it’s because I’m such sap that I’m willing to cherish any post-Spell first I can get.

After the pot was filled, Michelle turned off the faucet and turned around, catching me staring. I felt my face warmed up as she furrowed up her eyebrows questioningly.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“No,” I said. “It’s just… this is the first time I’ve seen you make tea.” I expected her to call me a loser or ask why that was a big deal. Instead she walked over to the stove as she spoke.

“I never made you tea before?”

I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see it since she was placing the teapot on top of the stove and turning on the burner. “No. I mean, you have, but not in person. Honestly, this the first time I’ve actually sat down in your place.”

“Really?” Michelle walked towards another cabinet and opened it. She pulled out two black mugs and walked back to where the teabags were. “So, prior to the spell, we’ve barely been to each other’s home, I’ve seen you in your underwear, but you haven’t seen me in mine, and the most we ever did, as far as intimacy goes, was some heavy first base action.” She opened the teabags before she place one in each mug. “…I’m… I’m surprised we haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“We were still a newish couple by the time bombshell about my identity dropped,” I explained. “…Also, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m sort of a nervous wreck at times.”

At that MJ chuckled. “Yeah, you are,” she agreed. She sighed as she turned towards me. She had that expression on her face – that expression she always puts on when she was about to be open about what’s on her mind. “…I’m still trying to get used to this, Peter – the fact that we’re on unequal footing.”

I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just… because of The Spell, you know a lot more about me than I know about you. And while I know you said I can ask you anything – and I appreciate that – it doesn’t change the fact you have these firsthand memories and experiences of our times together that I don’t have anymore. I don’t know what our growth from acquaintances to lovers was like. I don’t know how we were as classmates or how it was like to meet your aunt. I don’t even know how I felt about you when we first met. So…” She trailed off for a moment. “…Because of that, I’m worried that I might be competing with a version of myself that no longer exists.” She paused for a moment. “That’s how I’ve been feeling since we reunited.” She frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m being stupid, I think.”

“Everything, Em,” I reminded her. “I want everything. And no, you’re not being stupid. And even if you were, I think my past decisions give me little room to talk.” I smiled. MJ gave me slight smile of her own. After a moment of enjoying that smile, I frowned. “I don’t know if there’s a way to get your memories back. And even if there was, I’m not looking for one. Knowing my luck, if we tried it, we’d end up summoning some cosmic giant that feeds on planets or something.” At that, MJ laughed. I smiled a bit. That smile faded when I became completely serious. “…I’m always going to cherish the memories we had together before The Spell, and I wish you could cherish them with me. But at the same time, Em, I don’t want you to think that I expect you or our relationship to be the same way it was pre-Spell. You had every reason not to even associate with me anymore after what I did, let alone go out with me again. But you allowed me to be a part of your life again. I can’t ask for anything else.” I then allowed myself to smile. “And… if it means anything… you still surprise me.”

Michelle looked at me and gave me that lopsided smile of hers. “How so?”

I chuckled. “Well, for one, I never knew you know how to cook. And I never knew you were quite the singer. I think that’s huge.”

“Oh, shut up, you sap.” MJ lowered her head. I knew she was blushing. She took in a breath before she lifted her face and smiled at me. “…Thank you.” I smiled in response before I heard the whistling from the teapot. I saw the steam rising from the spout of it. “Well, let’s have that tea.” She turned and picked up the teapot by the handle after turning off the stove. She then walked over to the mugs and poured hot water into both them. After walking back to the stove and placing the teapot back on the stove, she walked back to the mugs, picked them, and walked over towards me. She placed a mug in front of me.

After she sat down, we waited for the tea to brew. During that time, we talked about how good the food was and how we’re adding the joint to the list of food places we should come back to. Once a few minutes passed, we drank our tea in silence. During this, MJ reached over with her right hand and grabbed hold of my left hand. I blushed at the gesture. Slowly, I turned my hands in her and gently laced my fingers between hers. I kept my grip loose, allowing her to pull her hand away if she wanted to. But she didn’t. She squeezed my hand gently before she relaxed it.

I decided I enjoy rooibos tea a lot.

After we were done, MJ took our mugs and placed them in the sink. She then took me by the hand and led me to her room. Once I was inside of it, I took everything in – her work desk with scattered papers and textbooks on it, the many books that I knew she read from cover to cover multiple times, the string of lights that hung around the room, the indoor plants… and her sketches that hung on the wall. This was the first time I was in her room. I’ve seen bits and pieces of it whenever we talked via video chat. Being in the room in person, however, felt like a huge deal. It was like I was being allowed inside of a place that MJ holds dear.

I guess I felt like I was the Lois Lane to Michelle’s Superman, and this room felt like her fortress of solitude.

There was a sketch on the wall that caught my eye. I walked up to it and took a closer look. All of The American Idiots were in it. We were sitting on a bench at a bus stop that looked like it saw better days. Right next to the bus stop was a street sign that read “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.

“I sketched that after Betty added Craig and Kitty to our group chat,” she said as she walked up to my side. I looked at her briefly, then back at the picture. “I was listening to Are We The Waiting on repeat while I was doing so.”

I smiled as I looked over the picture. “We’re one motley crew, aren’t we?” I commented.

“We are… but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I turned my head towards her and smiled. “Neither would I.”

MJ gave me a lopsided smile. She then walked over to her drawers. “I hate to disappoint you, but we won’t be sleeping in our underwear tonight.” I nodded, not even asking why. She opened up one of her drawers. “Do you think you need a shirt to sleep in?” She looked over her shoulder at me.

“No,” I said as I shook my head. “I think my undershirt is enough.” She nodded before she turned back, reached into the drawer, and pulled out a pair of dark blue shorts. She tossed them towards me, and I caught them with one hand. As she turned towards the drawer and went fishing for more clothes, I dropped the shorts on the ground before I started to carefully take my suit off. I made sure to carefully fold each item of clothing before I laid them on the floor in a neat pile. I kept doing this until I was in clad in nothing but my black boxers, a grey undershirt, and black socks. After that, I picked up the shorts and put them on. “I’m ready.” I turned and looked at her. She was clad in black shorts and a blue sports bra. Come to think of it, I was pretty sure that those shorts used to be mine.

“…We really do fit each other’s clothes,” she mused with a smirk. There was a glint to her eyes. “I wonder if my thong would fit on you.”

Despite my face heating up, I smiled slyly. “Is that your preferred style of undergarments?”

Now it was MJ’s face heating up. But there was no hesitation in her response as her eyebrows rose briefly. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Also, you don’t seem opposed to wearing one.”

“And you seem to want me in one so badly.” I tilted my head. “Do you think it’d be funny, or do you just want to see my butt so badly?”

Michelle didn’t reply at first. Instead, she walked up to me casually until there wasn’t much in the way of space between us. She leaned over, put her mouth near my ear, and whispered. “A little of Column A, a little of Column B.” After that, she placed a tender kiss on my cheek. There was a hitch in my breath as I felt my face get even hotter. She won this round, because there was nothing I could say to her after that. “Let’s go to bed, Peter.” She pulled away and smiled at me before she walked towards the bed and moved underneath the covers. I nodded dumbly before I joined her. “Lay on your side, Loser.” I did just that. A moment later, I felt her head on top of mines and her arm around my body as she spooned me.

“You know, I didn’t expect you to invite me to sleep in your bed with you,” I said as I closed my eyes.

“I wasn’t going to,” Michelle replied in a whisper. “…But I saw how you were tonight. I didn’t want to leave you alone.” I took in a breath as I nodded. Would I have unraveled if I wasn’t in MJ’s room? Who knows? But I wasn’t going to argue – mostly because I was sure that MJ’s worries had quite a bit of merit, but also because I’d never pass up a chance to be in MJ’s arms.

Yup, I’m a sap.

“Thank you, Em,” I whispered out.

“It’s like I told you in the park. You let me in. And now I’ll take care of you.”

After that it was silence as we both fell asleep.

I wish I could say that was the end of my night. In the world of the awake, it was. But my dreams had other ideas.

I was across the street from Happy’s apartment. I don’t know how I ended up there. All I knew was that I recognized the rubble and the flames from that night – the night Green Goblin took Aunt May away from me. I knew Aunt May was there. I looked on, feeling so many emotions as emergency vehicles arrived on the scene. I had this nightmare before. Each time, I’d run in, seeing if Aunt May had any sign of life. And each time, I’d find her body lifeless, in the same position I had to leave her when she died in real life.

This looked like it wasn’t going to be any different. I felt myself unravel as tears fell down my face. It was a fool’s errand every single time, and yet, as I wiped away my tears with my right forearm, I took a step forward and…

“Nope!”

Before I knew it, Michelle walked in out of nowhere. She walked right by me, grabbing my hand without stopping, and pulled me along. I tried to pull away, but her grip on me was ironclad.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I was dragged away.

“Away from here.”

[archerincombat]

let’s go together

“Did you have some sort of popcorn emergency?” he asks instead. “Like, oh my god we were eating popcorn and then a ladder truck fell from the ceiling and now Eddie’s in the hospital so we couldn’t clean this up, emergency?”

Buck coughs. It’s slight, but sets off warning bells in Ravi’s head. “Actually,” Buck mutters, “Someone died.”

700 words 

Ravi doesn’t know much about the A-shift these days. Things happen—people are needed elsewhere, Ravi’s too afraid to be on A-shift without Lucy there to normalize things, you know how it is—and he’s taken up residence with the cool and ordinary B-shift where none of the firefighters are in gay love with each other and people only almost die every other month instead of every other week.

It’s a bit boring, but he thinks he could use the break. Actually, after being traumatized by chainsaws and not two, but three white man, one of whom turned out to be a murderer (all caps), he thinks he deserves a break. Maybe a vacation. One that doesn’t end with his father having a stroke and driving a car through the wall of his house.

They are so weird. Ravi thinks he might become religious again to start praying for them. Anyway, this is just a long-winded way of saying, that when there’s popcorn spilt over the couch and B-shift is intersecting with the problem children, he takes it upon himself to help out a little, and grabs the dust pan from the broom closet.

Well, he pauses, and tries a few—stale and too buttery, but still more edible than Ana’s muffins. Makes sure no one catches him in the act because they all think he lives in some sort of quasi-frat house where they live on microwave pizza and takeout. As if Marcus doesn’t exclusively shop in the Organic Section and rack up their bill by a hundred dollars.

“What are you doing?” Buck wonders, gratingly. Ravi shudders with some Pavlovian reaction and holds up the dust pan without looking at him.

“Did you have some sort of popcorn emergency?” he asks instead. “Like, oh my god we were eating popcorn and then a ladder truck fell from the ceiling and now Eddie’s in the hospital so we couldn’t clean this up, emergency?”

Buck coughs. It’s slight, but sets off warning bells in Ravi’s head. “Actually,” Buck mutters, bleak and exhausted and yearning for hope that he expects Ravi to give him. “We lost someone today. Sorry, one of us should’ve cleaned it up. It’s just—”

“You don’t have to—” Ravi cuts himself off with a frustrated tsk. He motions to the slightly less popcorn-y side of the sofa, and Buck sinks into it like a marionette doll with all of its strings cut. 

Ravi sits on the coffee table across from him. They’re both so tall that their knees keep knocking into each other, but neither of them move. They’re friends—Ravi knows that—but it aches sometimes, to see Buck so immutably sad.

Buck’s mouth purses into a scowl. “We should get our lives together.”

Ravi splutters. Like, yeah, Buck’s sad, but Ravi did not sign up to have a joint-existential crisis. He gets enough of that as a Hashtag Zillenial. 

“Who is we?” he demands. “I am—my life is so great. It’s like—the opposite of Ned Fulmer’s life right now. Maybe you should be having this conversation with him, did you ever think of that?”

Buck squints. “Who is Ned?” he asks. “Is he on B-shift?”

“Maybe you should be on the B-shift,” Ravi replies, both fiercely and nonsensically.

That gets a smug grin out of him. “Why?” Buck asks. “Miss me?”

Ravi mocks him—”Whymissme?”—and then, because he doesn’t know how to leave well enough alone and Buck sorta reminds him of that dumpster cat behind his apartment that he’s trying to convince Sebastian to adopt, “So what happened on the call, exactly?”

Buck stares at something behind Ravi. Though, unless they’ve got a station paranormal demon, which Ravi wouldn’t put past them, there’s nothing there. “I have a problem with old men.”

“Okay.”

He explains it to Ravi in bits—a kid or the old man, their conversation, “I think I get it now”, the crush injury.

It’s been a hell of a day.

“Hmmm,” Ravi considers afterwards, because he’s not going to make it worse for himself and think about death and dying any more than he has to. “I guess it puts into perspective what’s really important, right? Like, I’m sure he gets it. All dying people remember are their regrets.”

“What if I don’t want any regrets?” Buck murmurs, as if Ravi didn’t just learn how to read 20 years ago. 

“Well then, I guess you gotta go for it.” Ravi wonders if they’re talking about Eddie Diaz. “Maybe you should go to your own happy meal convention.”

“Right,” Buck says distractedly. Which, wow, Ravi just made the joke of all time. “Thanks, man.”

“Oh, anytime,” Ravi replies (actually, let’s not do this again ever), and tries not to make cleaning up popcorn a metaphor for friendship.

[fandom-puff]

Smut tember day 20- giving oral with Ned Stark

Warnings: oral sex, older man/younger woman, arranged marriage, AU (Ned is widowed and Erm.. no Lannister beef?) also I’ve never written for Ned so enjoy this shitty attempt

Gif creds to owner

Rubbing his temples, Ned set aside his book and small ale aside. The numbers had been blurring together for the last hour, and he knew for a fact he’d have to double check the granaries to make sure he’d gotten the amounts right.

Just as he was about to blow out the almost burnt out candle, there was a sharp knock on the door. “M’lord, it’s Lady YN. She says it’s not urgent, and you can speak tomorrow, but-”

“It’s fine. Send her in,”

With a murmur of ‘yes m’lord’, the squire opened the door and you slipped into your husband’s bedchamber. You rather liked this room- it was by far the cosiest room in the whole of Winterfell, but you had only been in it once or twice after your wedding night.

“My lady,” Ned said. “Forgive me. I would’ve dressed…”

You smiled gently. “This is your bedchamber, my Lord. You have every right to be in your night clothes. Besides, it’s me who decided to visit so late in the night,”

“Is everything alright?” He asked, sitting up.

Dithering on the spot for a moment, you debated sitting on the edge of the bed, before deciding to sit on the stool by the fire, not wanting to spook your husband. He was rather like a nervous horse, and while you didn’t quite love each other, you had a mutual respect and a fondness. Ned had married you shortly after Catelyn Stark had died during a merciless winter. He wanted his children to have a maternal figure other than Old Nan, and he knew the household needed a Lady to run smoothly. You were a Karstark cousin Ned had chosen over the firstborn daughters of other northern houses; he refused to take a young bride, and he knew he needed a sensible wife to help him through his grief and his lordship.

“Nothing is wrong,” you said. “The children are all fast asleep, though I told Old Nan to make up a story about a snow spirit who’d protect them from the creatures in her stories while they sleep,”

Ned laughed softly. “I’m sure Bran is the only one who likes them. Even Robb tosses and turns in the night,” he was quiet for a moment, before looking at you properly. You were huddled under a plain cloak, your hair unbraided and loose. “Why did you come here so late, my lady?” He said softly. “Because the children were sent off to bed hours ago,” Your cheeks heated, but you attributed it to the burning flames behind you. “Are you scared of old Nan’s stories too?” He teased lightly.

“No!” You said indignantly. “I just… didn’t want to be alone tonight,” you mumbled.

Ned looked at you for a second, before pulling back the furs. Quickly, you averted your eyes, but he chuckled. “Don’t be silly. You can stay here tonight if that’s what you’re after,”

You smiled gratefully and laid your cloak aside, hurrying to join him in the bed. As he curled around your back, he murmured into your ear “I promise to protect you from the monsters in the Weirwood,”

***

As the thin, silvery morning light shone through into the bedchamber, yiu sighed, slowly waking, barely stifling a yawn.

“Morning ,” Ned mumbled, and you shuddered at the deep rumble of his voice against the back of your neck. As you made to wriggle back, clinging to the last of your sleep, he stopped your movements with a firm hand against your hip. “Careful now,” he said, his voice a little tight.

“Why, what’s wrong- oh,” you mumbled; as you shifted and settled back, you felt a telling firmness against your back. “My Lord…” you whispered, slowly turning around in his arms.

“Ned,” he reminded you as you gazed up into his eyes, admiring the crow’s feet lines that framed them.

“Ned,” you murmured, and he almost groaned at the light lilt of your voice. “It’s been…”

“Months,” he said, a pink blush rising to his cheeks. “I’m sorry,”

“For what?” You said, your fingertips lightly tracing up his side. “You are a man, after all. And you deal with so very much, and you have not summoned me to your chamber since… the week after our wedding; you’re bound to need release at some point,”

“Please, don’t feel as though you have to do anything. I will not force you to relieve me,”

“What if I want to?” You whispered, lip between your teeth. Ned groaned softly, his large hands making to pull you on top of him, but you stopped him. In truth, he could have easily yanked you up, but he refused to manhandle you.

And he was rather curious as to what you had in mind instead.

“Lay back,” you told him, before disappearing among the sheets and furs. Ned frowned, shivering as he felt your hands trail over his stomach, his hipbones, his thighs, until they tugged at his small-clothes, unlacing them. He gasped when he felt your hand wrap around his hardness, freeing him from the restraint of his underwear.

And he damn near combusted as he felt your tongue flicker out over his slit. As your lips wrapped around the tip of his cock, he shoved the bedcovers down, and he was met with the erotic sight of your wide eyes staring up at him as you worked his cock down your throat.

“Fuck..,” he hissed, petting your hair gently, jaw slack and breath coming in shaking groans. His heavy cock twitched in your mouth as he neared his release, and right as he was about to come down your throat, there was a thud at the door.

“Maester Lewin, m’lord,”

You froze, gagging slightly on his cock. “The others damn his timing,” he muttered under his breath, before calling out, “tell him I will meet him in his solar in half an hour,” he said, his voice wobbling slightly.

When the noise outside died down, you pulled up from his cock, lips swollen and shiny with spit. “My, my, my, Lord Stark,” you teased. “Putting of meetings to have your cock sucked,”

“Hush,” he said, rolling his eyes playfully, before grasping your hair and pushing you back down.

Tags: @sociallyawkward-princess @lazyotakujen @janelongxox @honeyofthegods @lxoxtxtxi @fullmoonshadowwrites @nyxrae

[thewingedwolf]

“Aegon called his dream ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’ This secret, it’s been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time. And now you must promise to keep it. And to carry it. Promise me, Rhaenyra. Promise me.”

A lot has been said about this so i won’t reiterate. i will say that what stood out to me was the darkness of the scene, and of course Ramin’s wailing dragon strings in the background playing just as Rickon Stark pledges his loyalty. Knowing Cregan will honor his house’s word and stand with the blacks, knowing Jon will be born (whatever the exact context of how they get there is) of a Targaryen and Stark - a little bit of a musical and visual nod, almost, to what comes next. Ramin, I would die for you lmao. But on rewatch, what immediately came to mind during this scene was Ned and Lyanna.

“He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister's eyes. Ned remembered the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched his as she gave up her hold on life, the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that he remembered nothing.

Ned’s grief being this monster that still consumes his every thought even now 14 ish years after Lyanna has died just gets me. I think why I am so fond of Ned and Lyanna is bc GRRM really understands the sort of heavy beast that losing a sibling is, and he writes it very well.

But - GRRM had a big hand in the pilot right? A man as obsessively detailed as him would surely notice he’s phrased this “Promise me (beloved relative), promise me.” pattern considering how often Ned’s promise to Lyanna is echoed throughout the first book. But maybe not! It’s not like he hasn’t had some continuity errors before right, and the show and the books Will be different, tho we don’t know in what exact ways yet. EXCEPT THEN WHEN ROBERT IS DYING:

“Serve the boar at my funeral feast,” Robert rasped. “Apple in its mouth, skin seared crisp. Eat the bastard. Don’t care if you choke on him. Promise me, Ned.”

“I promise.” Promise me, Ned, Lyanna’s voice echoed.

“The girl,” the king said. “Daenerys. Let her live. If you can, if it . . . not too late . . . talk to them . . . Varys, Littlefinger . . . don’t let them kill her. And help my son, Ned. Make him be . . . better than me.” He winced. “Gods have mercy.”

the parallel stuck in my head. Viserys, grieving and alone and afraid, making Rhaenyra promise to always understand that the long night is coming and they must be ready. Ned, grieving and alone and afraid, first promising something to Lyanna, then promising to protect a Targaryen child and Robert’s son. Clearly, there is the parallel here that Lyanna likely asked Ned to protect her own targ baby, and that parallel is definitely there for that reason at least. But we all wonder what exactly Rhaegar said to convince Lyanna to leave everything she knew behind to escape a betrothal that makes her feel trapped…only to run off with a married man and become literally trapped in the Tower of Joy. But we know Rhaegar knew at least a bit of the song of ice and fire, in whatever way it exists in the books (seems likely Aegon did have a Dream, considering GRRM’s hand in the pilot, the Targaryen propensity for prophetic dreams, and a bunch of other little clues that seem to point towards Aegon conquering the realm for a reason not solely related to power. but also, it’s not canon until it’s canon so i’m aware there’s a chance this prophecy plays out differently in the books). But i’m reminded of what Aemon knew of the prophecy and his own relationship with Rhaegar:

"No one ever looked for a girl," he said. "It was a prince that was promised, not a princess. Rhaegar, I thought . . . the smoke was from the fire that devoured Summerhall on the day of his birth, the salt from the tears shed for those who died. He shared my belief when he was young, but later he became persuaded that it was his own son who fulfilled the prophecy, for a comet had been seen above King's Landing on the night Aegon was conceived, and Rhaegar was certain the bleeding star had to be a comet. What fools we were, who thought ourselves so wise! The error crept in from the translation. Dragons are neither male nor female, Barth saw the truth of that, but now one and now the other, as changeable as flame. The language misled us all for a thousand years.

“Barth saw the truth…the language misled us all” clearly Aemon is talking of more than just him and Rhaegar shooting the shit when he includes Septon Barth and a general “us.” He’s discussing knowledge that was known and passed down by someone for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

And Dany’s dream of her brother Rhaegar sitting with Elia after Aegon has born:

"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

Obviously that prophetic line (if it exists in the book in the same or a similar way) is broken at some point. Maybe it’s the dance of the dragons, maybe it’s the sudden death of nearly all the Targaryens at the Tragedy of Summerhall, maybe it’s Robert’s Rebellion.

What’s clear is that Aemon knew about the prophecy despite never being an officially named heir, only asked to be one at a few points, while Daemon and Aegon II (in the show) are never told of the prophecy because Viserys never considered either a real heir. What’s clear is whatever it is Aemon and Rhaegar knew, it was not something that was passed onto Dany. And also clear is that Rhaegar had no issues running his mouth about this song of ice and fire, because Aemon knows, and Dany sees him discuss it briefly with Elia, while the show makes a point to have Viserys discuss his Dream of Aegon II being crowned as Rhaenys escapes on Meleys, but not bring up Aegon the Conquerer’s Dream until he’s completely alone with Rhaenyra and naming her as his heir.

But “Promise me, Rhaenyra, promise me” in a dark room filled with candles said after Aemma is murdered in the birthing bed, and “Promise me, Ned, promise me” alone in the Tower of Joy in a room that smells of blood and roses just as Lyanna is dying after something leads her to her too early death in a birthing bed.

…so what if Rhaegar told Lyanna at least a little? Telling the terrified 15/16 year old that she’s been chosen to have a baby that will help to unite the realm and save it from the Long Night, something Lyanna knows is a very dangerous threat because she’s of the North, that he’ll take care of her, of the baby, that her fate is something so much bigger than marrying her brother’s slutty best friend and being his miserable, lonely wife. Does Lyanna attempt to say something to Ned as she’s dying or has she stopped believing after the murders of her father and brother, the deaths of Rhaegar, Elia, and baby Aegon and Rhaenys? Does it slip her mind, in her fear of her own impending death and the threat to her son? Maybe, maybe do Lyanna’s last words give a hint that will lead to Jon or Bran or Sam or Dany or whoever the hell piecing together the entire prophecy? Or am i going absolutely crazy waiting for the winds of winter which will probably never be released anyway lmao

[on-the-outside]

orange spice tea

For Peter, the worst kind of nightmares aren't the bad ones. They aren't the ones where the buildings fall or the aliens come pouring from the sky.

Those ones haunt his mind and leave flickering images behind his eyes, but they're not the worst.

The worst nightmares are the happy ones.

***

He’s sitting at the dining room table, spooning his favorite pasta onto a chipped ceramic plate, patterned with roses. Ben cooked that night, so the food is good, and Peter is excitedly explaining to Ben and May about what he learned in Science that day. Peter knows that they don’t understand, but they nod along and at least try to pretend. When he talks about his new friend, Ned, who likes science too, Ben and May give each other soft, happy smiles. Ben cracks a joke, which sends Peter into a fit of giggles. May looks at them fondly.

That night, after Peter has brushed his teeth and changed into his favorite Iron Man pajamas, May brushes his hair off his forehead and kisses his cheek as she’s tucking him in.

“Goodnight, Petey Pie,” Ben whispers from behind her. May takes Ben’s hand.

***

And then Peter wakes up.

He always wakes up.

His room at Stark Tower is the size of his old apartment, so full of empty corners and shadows that it makes him paranoid. He still hasn't decorated, so the walls are plain white. It feels like he’s drowning in his comforter.

It takes a moment for him to realize where he is. The emptiness comes, then. The feeling that he’s missing the biggest part of himself. Peter can still feel May’s kiss on his cheek and smell her coconut shampoo. If he concentrates, he can hear Ben’s faint voice, wishing him goodnight.

Sobs wrack his whole body, shaking his shoulders and rattling through his head. Peter curls in on himself and soaks his pillow, knowing they will never be there to comfort him again.

The happy nightmares are the worst, because he can push every building off his shoulders and he can defeat every otherworldly attacker, but no matter what he does, he can never get his aunt and uncle back.

****

The first thing Natasha asks when Peter stumbles into the kitchen at three in the morning is,

“What kind of tea do you like?”

Peter looks up, eyes red and stinging, still breathing hard. Nat smiles back softly, waiting for his answer.

“Orange spice, please,”

She nods and rips open a packet. Peter slumps on one of the stools next to the island.

“Want to talk about it?”  Nat asks while she fills the kettle with water. She looks more relaxed than usual in red pajama bottoms and an oversized black shirt instead of her usual

weapon-loaded bodysuit.

“.... Ben and May.” Peter mumbles. He avoids her eyes and instead stares out the floor-to-ceiling windows. He’s never noticed how bright the city looks at night.

Nat pours hot water into a mug with the Captain America shield on it. The tea bag floats to the top and slowly sinks back down, sending plumes of orange into the clear water. Nat waits until he’s taken a sip before asking, “Did I ever tell you about Phil Coulson?”

Peter shakes his head, “Who is he?”

“Phil helped train me when I was first recruited . He was one of my best friends at SHIELD. Coulson, Hill, Clint, and I. We were unstoppable. They were my family, for a little while,” She smiles, remembering.

He sadly realizes she’s talking in the past tense.

“What happened?” He questions tentatively.

“Loki. Coulson tried to stop him, but…well, a human against a god isn't a fair fight. The scepter went straight through his heart. We got to him too late,” her voice is matter-of-fact, like she’s describing the weather, but there’s a current of sadness under it all. Peter knows that forced-casual tone well.

“I’m sorry, Nat,” Peter whispers.

“Phil was one of the bravest people I knew. He joined SHIELD after his parents died,

because he wanted to make the world a better place. You remind me of him, you know,”

Peter looks up at her. “Why?”

“Not many people can see the things you have and choose to keep going. After everything, you’re still out there, fighting and protecting people, every day,”

Peter supposes this is true. But it's not like he can take credit. He doesn’t do it for himself.

“It’s not… There have been plenty of times I've wanted to give up. But, I can't. My uncle died trying to help someone. I owe it to him to continue what he started. He said to me, before he died, ‘with great power, there must also come great responsibility’. I've spent every day since then trying to live by that. I know It won’t change anything, or bring them back, but…I don't know,”

Natasha looks up at him. “Won't change anything? Маленький паук, you have helped all of us in more ways than i can count. I promise you, wherever your uncle is, he’s proud of you.

Peter blinks hard, a sudden wave of grief consuming him. He lets the tears spill. Natasha comes around the island and wraps her arms around him. She smells like lavender. Then Nat kisses his head, and something inside him dissolves. He can't tell if it's good or bad, but it makes him cry harder.

“I-I just miss them-” He chokes out between sobs. He thinks Natahsa is crying a little too.

“I know, Маленький паук,” She mumbles into his hair, “I know,”

Eventually, they move over to the living room and finish their tea. Peter talks about May and Ben, tells stories about holidays and trips to the science museum. Nat, in turn, tells him about living with Coulson and Hill and Clint, and later, funny stories about her time with the Avengers, before Sam and Peter and Wanda. They fall asleep on the couch together, Natasha’s arms still around his shoulders.

****

They wake up the next morning to find several snickering Avengers grouped around them. Nat glares at them all until they scatter, and the two snatch up plates of breakfast.

“Here, паук,” Nat says softly as she hands him his plate.

“Thanks, Aunt Nat,” He replies on refex. He see’s Nat’s eyes widen and turns away, smiling slightly.

His old family might be gone, but maybe, just maybe, he can make a new one, all on his own.

[jackoshadows]

Because I see this fundamental misunderstanding so often on the Arya Stark tag...

In the world of ASoIaF, Lady is not defined as someone wearing dresses, singing songs or wanting romance, marriage and children. Considering how wives are often treated and that marital rape is a thing, I doubt many of the Ladies of Westeros are that desirous of marriage and children. Even Sansa realizes that all this marriage for love/romance is a whole lot of bs and that other houses/characters are after her for her claim.

GRRM has the titles rather simple and in some instances it’s not very clear, but this is what I understand it to be. Please do correct me on this, if I am wrong.

Lady is a title for noble/high born women/girls in Westeros, just like Lord is a title for  noble/high born men. Apart from Dorne of course, where we get prince/princesses. We don’t have Dukes or Dauphins or Earls or Viscounts. It’s Lord Stark and Lord Manderly despite Ned being from a Great House.

The highborn girls, irrespective of age, are addressed as Lady. So it’s Lady Sansa Stark and Lady Arya Stark even when Catelyn was still alive. Highborn boys before taking over from their fathers seem to be addressed as Master. Waymar Royce is referred to as a Lordling once - this could be derogatory.

In the books, Catelyn chastises Edmure being called ‘Lord’ when Hoster Tully is still alive and Theon Greyjoy says that he can be Lord only after his father dies.

In the books, Roose Bolton is Warden of the North, Lord of the Dreadfort and Ramsay Bolton is Lord of Winterfell, - marrying Arya Stark to legitimize this claim/title - Lord of Hornwood and Castellan of the Dreadfort. 

Jon Snow refers to Shireen Baratheon as ‘Princess’ because he considers Stannis Baratheon to be the One True King of the 7 Kingdoms.

As per the Worldbook asoiaf app, Arya is labelled princess and Bran and Rickon are princes now that the North (Apart from the Boltons and supporting houses) have declared they no longer hold fealty to the Iron Throne. Sansa did not get this title probably because of her marriage to Tyrion Lannister and Robb Stark’s decree.

That’s why Jon Snow is mocked as ‘Lord Snow’ - because he’s low born.

“That is a longsword, not an old man’s cane,” Ser Alliser said sharply. “Are your legs hurting, Lord Snow?”

Jon hated that name, a mockery that Ser Alliser had hung on him the first day he came to practice

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

“And the grumkins and the snarks,” Tyrion said. “Let us not forget them, Lord Snow, or else what’s that big thing for?”

“Don’t call me Lord Snow.”

The dwarf lifted an eyebrow. “Would you rather be called the Imp? Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can’t hurt you with it anymore.

And my personal favorite:

“Lord Snow, he likes to call himself.” Ser Alliser was a spare, slim man, compact and sinewy, and just now his flinty eyes were dark with amusement.

“You’re the one who named me Lord Snow,” said Jon.

Lord/Lady is not about the characteristics/personality of a character. There is no right or wrong way to be a Lady. There’s no rule that says that Ladies should wear dresses and play the harp and be good at sewing. No single character owns the word ‘Lady’. 

This holds true for Northern Ladies as well. Catelyn Stark was a good Lady of Winterfell, not because she sang and played the harp or fought with a sword, but because she was a very capable, strong and intelligent leader whom Ned trusted enough to take over when he left for the south as Hand of the King.

Again, this is Maege Mormont, Lady of Bear Island in the North:

Maege is a short, stout, grey-haired woman, and a fierce warrior. She dresses in patched ringmail, and her favored weapon is a spiked mace.[3][4] She is dedicated to the old gods, and loyal to House Stark. According to her brother, Jeor, she is stubborn, short-tempered, and willful.

Remind us of anyone in house Stark? 

Maybe an older Arya will even grow up to like dresses once she is confident enough in her appearance to know that she looks good in them. But a lot of her dislike for dresses also stems from it not being an easy or practical attire to do activities she likes - running around chasing cats or being able to fight.

What Jon Snow admires in Lady Alys Karstark is her bravery in getting all the way to the wall and agreeing to a marriage with the Magnar of the Thenns -  he compares the Lady to Arya Stark and calls her ‘Winter’s Lady’.

Arya is brought up to believe that there is only one type of Lady and that she does not fit there because she’s not like Sansa. Hence her dislike specifically for things she is told she’s not good at and therefore not being as good as Sansa according to Septa Mordane, her mother, her sister and her sister’s friends. She does not want to be a Lady as defined by the Septa.

Arya loves flowers, likes purple and green and playing with babies, is good at managing a household, can clean and cook and even sewed her own clothes, is kind and compassionate, cares for people, sees the good in everyone even in the lowest of the low often shunned by Westerosi society.

The patriarchal, male dominated Westerosi society does not like women wielding swords or fighting. The text demands that we critique this considering we have characters like Arya and Brienne calling out the double standards and wanting to not be put into boxes based on their genders.

With characters like Daenerys Targaryen and Arya Stark most assuredly having active, leading roles in the next two books, I think the status quo will change or begin to change by the end of the books.

The current, new generation of main characters think differently to the status quo - Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Bran Stark, Tyrion Lannister - are all characters who straight off admire proactive female leaders, war commanders, fighters and in the case of Jon Snow puts them in positions of power. Some of our central protagonists - Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen - as leaders are involved in reform and changing how things are usually done. Other protagonists - Arya, Brienne - have shown a desire and a need for things to change. Bran and Tyrion admire characters like Meera Reed/Arya stark and Daenerys Targaryen respectively.

One of the things Jon Snow wants to do is integrate the Freefolk into the North and eventually Westeros. Considering the women of the Freefolk, why wouldn’t there be a gradual and eventual change in how Westeros sees the role of women in society?

Note, because I just know some folks are going to make strawman arguments about why this is Sansa hate because she’s a ‘girly girl’ or a character who likes singing, dancing and all that. This post is not saying that Sansa is the wrong kind of Lady or that those qualities are wrong or that Sansa is not a Lady because she likes singing or dancing or that Sansa does not want to be a Lady because she will have to marry and it will make her unhappy or that Sansa cannot be a Lady because she loves to sing and dance or that Sansa is the wrong kind of woman to be a lady etc - things that are often written about Arya on the character tag.

My post is saying that maybe in the Westeros that our heroes/heroines leave behind in this coming of age tale, all types of Ladies can co-exist in positions of power - a Lady Arya Stark, a Lady Sansa Stark, a Lady Daenerys Targaryen, a Lady Meera Reed, a Lady Arianne Martell, a Lady Margaery Tyrell and so on and so forth. GRRM has given us a variety of female characters and we all have our individual faves and who we would like to succeed at the end.

PS: No need to love all the female characters the same - they are all very different, flawed, complex characters and to each their own. Proclaiming loudly and repeatedly that one like all these very different female characters the same because they are female does not make one a feminist. Quite the opposite.

tl;dr - Essentially, according to the world and characters GRRM has written, Arya Stark, as Ned and Catelyn’s trueborn daughter, is Lady Arya Stark - that’s a honorific applied to all highborn girls. She has qualities that fit a Lady of house Stark and there is every chance that by the end of the book, the current patriarchal Westerosi status quo will begin to change to normalize girls like Arya, Asha, Daenerys, Brienne etc. as leaders or otherwise

GRRM has always said that it’s a coming of age tale for our protagonists and I think that changing societal status quo norms are part of that.

Edited: Edited to change and provide the right links/description of Maege Mormont as kindly pointed out by @patate-i-et-patate-a

[m4tthewmurd0ck]

once again i have no self control. @nexusnyx​ is hosting a celebration in honor of 7k followers and 1 year on her account, you can check it out *HERE*! (congrats again my love!!!) of course looking at the prompts, my mind instantly filled with ideas and i knew i had to participate! and then in the tags of reblogging my reblog, i was given even moreeeee ideas and 1 turned into… many. SO i’m posting these little sneak peeks, feel free to bully me into writing them so that they leave my wip’s and become completed works ha;sdlfkjascj. i’m literally shit at writing descriptions so if they all sound like trash, i promise (i think) the actual completed pieces will be a lot better.

ALSO. i was planning on doing 4, but i have 2 completely different ideas for peter and 1 fits better with tom���s, the other is better for andrew’s. so i’m not sure which of those will end up being fully written but the ideas are there for both! [ below the cut because it’s a bit long ]

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 ~ 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚝 𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚔

for as long as you’ve known him, matt has always doubted himself. and it breaks your heart, because you wish he could believe in himself the way you do. he is, without a single doubt in your mind, the best person that you know. when he comes home after a tough night as the devil of hell’s kitchen, you can practically hear his thoughts. so you sit him down, determined to make him realize that he deserves all the love you have to offer.

(short as hell on the description but i’ll add that it’s fluff with a hint of angst and matt really does deserve all the love in the world, and you’re going to give it to him!)

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐓 (𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍) ~ (𝚃𝚘𝚖 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍) 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛

this takes place after no way home. having worked at the same cafe / bookstore for a year, you’ve come to get to know quite a few regulars. there’s ned, who comes in every once in a while because you guys sell comic books at a discounted price. and james, who likes that you call him james instead of bucky (after he finally convinced you that you did not need to keep calling him sergeant barnes, that is), and he finds a sort of comfort in talking to you because you remind him of his sister. there’s also stan, the kind older gentleman who always has something new he wants you to try and draw when you put the foam on his latte’s. and then there’s peter. he’s a bit of a mystery to you. he’s your age, comes in every day and makes polite conversation, but seems to distance himself. he could listen to you talk about yourself for hours, but doesn’t ever really want to talk about himself. the biggest part of the mystery that you can’t quite put your finger on, is why he seems so familiar. you sense that he’s hiding something, but you’re hesitant to ask him about it. then one night, you don’t really have a choice.

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 ~ (𝙰𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍) 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛

this would take place during and after no way home! hints: you and peter became friends, then really good friends. but just when things seem to be moving forward, he panics. he can’t get close to you, and then risk losing you. he can’t go through that heartbreak again, the one he went through when she died. you, of course, are unaware of the loss that he’s experienced. all you have to go on is that he seems to want nothing more than friendship, right? and then he does the only thing he thinks will spare him a broken heart, he ends the friendship. so you don’t see him for a while. but then he comes back… and something is… different?

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍’𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 ~ 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜

bucky had given up on the idea of soulmates, the idea that there was someone out there that you were perfect fore, and they were perfect for you. he’d given up all that stuff, and then he met you. although you were the newest member of the team, you were the first one to really make an effort to befriend him. and you always seemed to know when he could use a friend, but also when he could use some space and just wanted to be alone. when you 2 finally got together, not a single person on the team was surprised. they all saw how he’d instantly calm down when you entered the room, as if before he was just worried, and waiting for you. for a while, things were good. you’d even say they were perfect. but lately something has been… off. he’s been distancing himself more and more, and you spend nights going over everything, wondering what you’ve done wrong. one night, you can’t take it anymore. you have to know why, even if it only ends up breaking your heart. the next day, you’re gone on a mission. and bucky feels his whole world crumble when the team is notified that you’ve been injured, and things aren’t looking too good.

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐁𝐘𝐄 ~ 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚁𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜

getting into a relationship with steve, you’d known right off the bat that you weren’t his first love. peggy was. you couldn’t be upset, in fact, you’d gotten to meet her a handful of times and you even considered her a friend. she was actually the one who encouraged steve to ask you on a date. but after he comes back from returning the infinity stones, you can tell that everything has changed. then one night you overhear something, and you’re sure that if hearts could physically shatter, yours would be in a million pieces. so you do the only thing you can to protect yourself. you say goodbye.

──── · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ────

[homosexuality-at-its-finest]

To love a hero

A/n: So I'm really sad right now and I'm gonna project that onto my writings, sorry in advance

Plot: Loving a hero is a difficult and heart wrenching task

Pairing: Peter parker x male reader

Y/n: Your name

L/n: Last name

N/n: Nickname

H/c: Hair color

Warnings: lotta angst, happy ending because I’m not a monster, cussing, major character injury

Word count: 1774

Y/n L/n and Peter Parker went way back, even farther than Peter and Ned. The two had been friends since Pre-K, and only grew closer as the years went by. The two were almost interpretable, if one of the boys was seen, the other was close by.

No one really understood their friendship, but no one questioned it either. In high school the two boys became impossibly closer, Y/n was the first to know about Peter’s abilities, the brunette couldn’t keep something so big from his best friend. Y/n was there and helped make his first suit, the boy was there to soothe his aching bones and to nurse his blossoming bruises.

The pair shared an unbreakable bond, they were what love stories depicted. The love between them was seen by everyone but the two. Of course, Peter knew he was in love with Y/n and vice versa, but for two genius’ they were both dumbasses. Hell, even Tony stark noticed the young love blossoming, the billionaire could see how much the pair adored each other.  

On multiple occasions he’d tried to coerce the young superhero into admitting his feelings but was always given the same response.

“Y/n doesn’t like me like that Mr. Stark, I’m not ruining our friendship over my feelings.” Simple and to the point, but it drove Tony insane that the young genius was so fucking blind. He opted against bringing it up again after seeing such clear pain in Peter’s eyes every time they talked about it, being a bystander as time passed by.

Maybe Peter couldn’t see how enamored Y/n was with him, but Tony could. Especially as he clutched the said boy against his chest as he let out guttural and heart wrenching sobs.

It had all started off as a normal Saturday, Peter was over at Y/n’s the two sitting on the couch and watching some unknown movie, it was purely background noise. The two boys were to focused on each other and their conversation to care about the movie. The domestic peace was ruined by Peter’s phone chiming, a familiar sound that always caused dread to run down Y/n’s spine.

It was the sound of Peter’s police scanner, hearing the radio chatter begin. “Unknown entity in central park, currently creating a perimeter and pushing back civilians, backup requested.” The look of determination crossed over Peter’s features, and if Y/n knew Peter would listen, he’d beg for him to let the avengers take care of it.

“That’s my cue, I’ll see you later N/n!” Peter did a mock salute to his best friend, easily escaping the home via window. For some unknown reason Y/n felt on edge, his gut tightening painfully. He immediately flicked on the news, only having to wait a few moments before the familiar figure of spiderman flung into frame.

The fight was nerve wrecking, watching as the Villain and superhero alike exchanged punches and kicks, and Y/n knew Peter was probably making stupid quips to keep his anxiety under control. The H/c haired boy gnawed on his bottom lip as he watched the fight escalate, getting more violent by the second.

The villain had hit Peter with all their might, and Y/n could only watch as the boy he loved more than anything was flung against a building before he crumpled to the ground. It was as the world stood still, stealing all the breath from Y/n’s lungs as the figure of spiderman didn’t budge, he didn’t get up. Peter promised he’d always get back up.

He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and stomped on, air was to thick to breathe and he could feel the moisture running down his face and the devastated cry that left his lips went unheard. The boy couldn’t really remember when Happy arrived at his house, a grim expression on his face as he looked at the disheveled teenager.

Y/n couldn’t remember the drive to the compound, it was as if his brain had just shut down, leaving him devoid of any life. Maybe that’s what Peter was like right now, devoid of life. His constant chatter silenced, his jittery movements stilled, his beautiful face pulled into the blank look of death.

The teenage boy could remember that Happy had to pull over so Y/n could vomit on the side of the road, silent sobs clenching his lungs in their vice. Never in all of his short life had he felt so much pain, never had he begged for the sweet release of darkness as he did now.

The H/c haired boy begged any god that would listen for this to be a nightmare, that he’d wake up and he and Peter would still be on the couch. The brunette would tease him for falling asleep, but he’d take anything to make this pain go away.

When he finally got to the compound and saw Tony waiting, the same grim look on his face as happy, it felt like every last shred of his strength and control was gone. Y/n collapsed into Tony’s arms, breaking into pieces. He only processed a few words “surgery” “critical” and “I’m so sorry.” Everything blended together as the billionaire led him to the medical wing, holding onto the breaking teenager, as if his touch would mend him.

Hours felt like eternity, it was hellish. The sobs that once left the teenager were turned into deafening silence, the occasional sniffle leaving the boy, comforting Tony that the child was in fact still alive.

May had shown up at some point, Y/n couldn’t honestly remember when, or honestly care. Not when he felt like part of himself was missing, leaving a gaping hole where Peter once was.

Good news came in the form of a doctor informing them, at hour 4 of waiting, that Peter had survived the surgery and was now stable. If it wasn’t for his healing factor, the teenager would’ve been dead. He was under sedatives currently, so his body could work solely on healing.

It felt like a weight off of everyone’s chest, he was okay, alive and breathing. The 3 walked in silence to Peter’s room, May and Y/n taking their respective sides on Peter, as Tony sat at the foot of the bed.

Hours were spent in silence, May haven fallen asleep not to long after receiving the news that Peter was okay. Tony and Y/n stayed awake, both lost in their own thoughts. The teenager held Peter’s hand, thumb brushing over his knuckles silently. His eyes rarely left the still form, scared that if he looked away the boy would disappear from his grasp.

“Yknow what sucks about loving a hero?” Y/n’s broken voice cut through the silence, starling Tony from his thoughts. He didn’t reply, his gaze falling on the teenager. Y/n looked over at Tony and fuck that look should never be on a child. He looked so broken, so tired.

“I know he’s going to die long before me, and I’ll be stuck in this fucked up world without him.” A humorless laugh broke through the boys’ lips, it sounded watery and oh so broken. “I’m not ready to live without him Tony.” A quiet sob left his lips, his free hand going to stifle it.

“I love him so much, and it scares me so fucking bad.” Y/n’s eyes moved back over to Peter, shakily bringing the sleeping boy’s hand up to kiss his knuckles. Tony felt his chest tighten painfully; this was really a reminder that they were just kids who grew up way to fast.

“He’s not going to die Y/n, not if I have anything to say about it.” Tony replied in a surprisingly gentle but determined tone. He’d be damned if he let this pair get separated, Peter and Y/n deserved to be together. To grow up together and create a life.

The room fell into silence after that, neither of them wanting to broach the topic again. In the early hours of the morning Peter’s doe like eyes opened once more. Every inch of his body ached with an indescribable pain, and he had to hold back a grimace. He was surprised to see the 3 most important people in his life strewn about the room, two fast asleep. Y/n was still awake though, clasping Peter’s hand like a lifeline has his tired eyes burned into the sheets.

Peter gave his best friends hand a gentle squeeze, but it was enough for the boy’s head to shoot up so fast Peter was scared he’d get whiplash. “Peter! Oh, thank God.” The H/c haired boy breathed out, and even through his eyes were red and puffy from tears and purple bags so dark they looked like bruises bloomed under his eyes, he was still the most gorgeous creature Peter had ever seen.

Peter gave a weak smile, squeezing his hand once more. “How long have I been out?” He questioned; head tipped to the side like a curious puppy. “About 12 hours.” Y/n replied, voice cracking slightly.

The gentle aura Y/n held around him quickly disappeared into one of anger. “If you ever do that to me again Peter I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself.” Y/n spit out angrily, but the anger was gone as fast as it had appeared.

“I thought you died, and that was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I love you, and I’d rather you be with the land of the living.” The confession was made by a boy to tired to process he had said it.

Peter felt a wave of guilt crash over him at the boy’s confession. He knew now wasn’t the time to talk on the subject. “I’m okay N/n and trust me I won’t be doing that again any time soon. Why don’t we sleep and talk again in the morning?”

Peter was exhausted, and he knew his best friend was too, they could talk about this at a later date. As Y/n made a sound of agreement, laying his head against the mattress, Peter knew that everything would be okay. It didn’t matter what horrors he faced, or what pain he went through. He had made a promise to Y/n. He’d get up every time, and he’d be damned if he ever made the Boy he loved go through that pain again.

[dontbipanicjonsa]

Can't believe they Pol!Jon-baited us (I finished the show, unfortunately)

Like queer-baiting, yes.

Lucky for me I'm used to being baited.

No but really. I cannot believe how they utterly ruined Jon's character by the end.

Sure, I can still say Pol!Jon was happening. I can say that Jon told Varys his, "she is my Queen" because he didn't trust that Varys wouldn't betray him to Dany. Kind of like how Sansa would call Joffrey her King and renounce her family while she was stuck in KL.

I can say that Jon was clearly trying to talk down/calm Dany when he said "I love you" and then immediately followed it with "you are my Queen" (again) because he knew that was what really mattered to Dany.

I can say plenty of his actions were driven by fear.

I can say that his "love is the death of duty" can be interpreted as his love for his family and his need to protect them which led him down the Pol!Jon path that proceeded to grow utterly out of his control (death of his duty to the realm of men etc)

But that still doesn't cut it.

At some point his actions cross from Pol!Jon to nonsensical. Is he really the kind of guy who would follow an obvious tyrant because he "loves" her? Does he love her??? HOW

Is he so deeply in love that his vocabulary has been cut down to only "you are my Queen" and "I don't want it"? Very romantic.

Basically, I can't believe that he loved her, I also can't believe he would hesitate to try to stop her unless he did love her. So basically......idk. It doesn't make sense. Why did he need to be convinced that Dany has to be removed from power??

On a lighter note- wtf are we all still debating about???? Last episode made it clear that Jon and Sansa love each other.

I mean....

When Danaerys and Jon talk about the "others" that Dany says "won't get to choose", who are they really talking about? Who is "they"?

Let's see, Edmure from the Riverlands ? Nah, dude has too strong self preservation skills.

Who's at Highgarden? Sam? Some rando? The Unsullied? They're not gonna wage war on Dany alone. So no.

The Westerlands? Well, the Lannisters just died, besides Tyrion who's imprisoned. Dany would have probably elected somebody to take over that place.

The Vale? Right. Sweetrobin would utterly destroy Dany with his smirky face, but it's unlikely he'd try.

The Pyke? Last we checked, Yara took it back in Dany's name.

The Stormlands? Why would Gendry do that ? To avenge KL? Unlikely.

Dorne? We don't even know the freaking name of that supposed Prince.

The wildlings? Why??

That's right. Neither Jon nor Dany have reason to believe that anybody else will rebel in Westeros....except the North. Except Sansa.

"They" is Sansa. Jon killed Dany for Sansa.

Not to mention, Sansa is repeatedly brought up in the scenes leading up to Jon killing Dany, because she is the point of conflict between them. Besides his parentage, of course.

And Sansa. My girl brought a whole ass army to the capital just for Jon. Straight up said she'd declare war if anyone hurt him. Honestly, she can declare war on me anytime she wants.

Actually it's pretty hilarious-

Sansa to Bran: you ain't my king

Sansa to Jon: but you're my king :/

And also-

Sansa to Jon: can you forgive me

Jon to Sansa: dammit let me stay angry for a moment :(

Dorks.

I will say, if the show had actually been consistent till the end, I would believe that Sansa being seemingly not angry at Jon is a sign that Pol!Jon was a thing. Because otherwise he would have given away the North to a foreign queen simply because he was in love with her, and put his entire Kingdom and family at a huge risk of being burnt alive, as KL was. Not sure if Sansa would still say things like "but we lost our king" then.

But the show ISN'T consistent so what's the point anymore?

Another thing-

Dany is a tragic figure ultimately. She needs the love of her subjects, but fails to realise that conquering a continent with fire breathing dragons and the "love of the people"....do not go hand in hand.

Jon's "I love you" was calculated, but he failed to follow through on it the way she wanted.

Now, I'm going to list three ways in which Jonerys stagnated the story and generally sucked, because I'm petty like that.

1) Sansa says- you have to be smarter than Father.

Say Jon did fall in love with Dany, and he really was honorable the entire time....even at the Dragon Pit where he refused to lie to Cersei. A true Northern Fool. What was the point of that line then? He didn't learn shit. No, he got worse. Because we know Jon has lied in the previous seasons.

Actually, this lends more to making me believe Pol!Jon was real. Jon mentions his Father quite a bit in S7, and it is always about how honorable his father was. Seriously, we know Ned was honorable. You don't have to keep telling us. Unless.....?

Arya and Sansa talk about Ned too, but their conversation is not about honor.

So seriously Jon, don't you have anything else to say about your dad? Or are you trying to convince everyone of your own supposed honor by connecting yourself so strongly to your Father's honorable-ness.

We really didn't need that many reminders. It's sus.

2) Sansa says- you have to be smarter than Robb.

And then what did Jon do? Went South, fell for a foreigner, lost his crown, lost some of his standing in the North, and eventually the story ended tragically and a whole lot of people died.

Once again, what was the point? Why have Sansa specifically tell Jon not to make the same mistakes as his father and brother only to have him go and make those same mistakes? That's not how stories move forward.

If Jon really pulled a Robb, then Sansa and the North are perfectly justified in their anger.

3) Jon and Ygritte.

So....Jon goes to place where he's essentially a prisoner, meets woman who's into him, falls into Stockholm Syndrome with her, puts his duty and honor on hold to enter an abusive relationship with her, wilfully blinds himself to her flaws to cope, and then eventually (directly or indirectly) leads to her death.

Ygritte and Dany are....the same. Dany is Ygritte with dragons. Once again, what was the point?

Did Jon's story really just repeat itself, beat for beat? Is this like some loop he's cursed to live in?

Pol!Jon is the only way we can respect Jon's character growth from the time he was with Ygritte till the end of S6. Jon from S6 would not fall in love with Dany.

Side note- how do you put that "read more" cut in these posts? I feel like this one got too long.

[inknopewetrust]

Manipulate Me

Summary: As Peter travels Europe as a normal kid, the world’s peril throws a wrench in his plans. With you by his side chaperoning the trip as an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D agent, the mysterious introduction of Quentin Beck leaves you breathless. 

Pairing: Quentin Beck/Mysterio x Fem!Reader 

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: None! 

A/N: Thanks so much for requesting this @mrs-blooooom​ ! I had a great time writing for Quentin Beck again. For context, reader is Peter’s older sister but also happens to be a shield agent (it was the easiest route of explanation as to why she would be meeting with Fury and Maria Hill). Requests are currently OPEN and you can check out who I write for in my request guidelines tagged in my bio. Thanks for reading! :) *gif not mine* I do not own any of the dialogue from the film. 

“May-” 

“-And don’t forget the passports! Oh! The passports!” 

“May!” 

May stopped scrambling around the apartment only to find that you had the two passports already in your hand. The tired aunt pushed her disheveled hair out of her face, pushing her glasses back up her nose, and slowly calming down. It was fine... Peter had you, Peter had all his friends, Peter would be fine in Europe. 

“Everything is going to go fine. I’ll be with him at all times and if he decides to wander off and do his Spiderman stuff––well then I’ll just have to call in some Avengers to stop him.”  

“I trust that you’ll be able to keep him out of trouble if it comes down to it.” May picked up Peter’s suitcase off the floor and listened to his heavy footsteps draw down the hallway and into the living room where you had gathered with her. 

“All ready?” He asked with those inquisitively wide eyes that reminded you so much of your mom. May handed him the suitcase but not before capturing the boy in a tight hug. Her “motherly” instincts grew since she returned from the blip. It was strange without the two of them. You, stuck here in New York without a leader in either Fury or Tony and the remaining members of S.H.I.E.L.D, Avengers and then the developed Sword, were left to pick up the pieces and build a life without them. That was the most difficult part. 

“Promise me that you won’t get into any trouble?” May asked Peter who in reply rolled his eyes with a chuckle. 

“It’s just a school trip. Besides, Y/n is going to be there and I’m sure she’s told you a million times that she can keep me in check.” You smacked the side of his head but he just ignored you and turned to the door, opening it with a rough pull with his spider-y force. 

“We’ll see you in a few weeks, May!” 

If you were able to take back all the words you said and never go to Europe, you would ask Stephen Strange to reverse time. 

Venice was a mess. The water-creature-man-thing...? had erupted the small city into a chaotic terror with locals and terrified students trying to find cover. Peter was somewhere flying with webs while another hero whom you had never seen before was assisting him. After a few minutes of trying to guide a group of students to safety, you secured cover underneath an awning in front of a store. 

“Ms. Parker! What do we do!?” Flash was almost in tears from fear which you couldn’t help but judge. It was water? the kid survived Thanos’ snap so he could survive this. Not to mention Fury would have your ass if any of the kids died on your watch. 

Out of nowhere the ground started to fill up with water and cracking of concrete or bricks began echoing throughout the small courtyard you trapped them all in. The green man came swooshing in with a cloud of smoke, almost like an illusion, and stopped the water with the sheer force of his magical abilities. The creature reformed into what looked like a water man and the green man dodged the attack with made the sound of bricks tumbling increase in intensity. Suddenly, the tower to your right began crumbling and you pulled as many students as you could closer to the building you sought shelter next to. 

“Get back! Get back!” 

“Who is that guy!?” Jason, one of the students shouted out but you couldn’t answer the question because you didn’t know. 

“I don’t know, but he’s kicking that waters ass.” Brad voiced exactly what you would have said. 

The green man continued to fight the water as the tower crumbled beside you all and then, like the blink of an eye, the monster was gone and the water scattered, soaking your shoes with a safety that was much welcomed. The man landed to sounds of cheering from the students and locals that found themselves in the same spot as you. But something was different. 

Maybe it was the fact that you couldn’t see his face, or maybe the fact that you had never heard of this hero and you literally worked for the agency that worked with them all. Maybe he wasn’t from this world? Space? Another universe? You could have sworn that you heard of the idea of a multiverse. 

But maybe it was the fact that beneath all that smoke and mirrors that made up the helmet of the mysterious man, it felt as though when he looked around at his admiring fans, his eyes trained on you, staring through your soul with some feeling that wasn’t welcomed or unwanted either. Intrigue, that’s what it was. And when he flew off, everyone was left with a curiosity that sparked a great debate throughout the entire world. Who was this man? 

Well, the T.V. at the hotel identified him as Mysterio. Peter managed to make it back in one piece which you were able to celebrate in a brief moment outside before the voices of interested students and the television interrupted the moment. Betty and Ned were searching every website for some kind of clue but nothing other than what the news reported was to be taken as fact. It wasn’t aliens, it wasn’t witches, it was just another hero. 

So that was what you went with. That was until you opened your door to Fury sitting in a chair next to the window. 

“Oh my God!” You shrieked and Fury laughed, laughed, at you. 

“You scare too easy.” 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in spa-” 

The slight reveal of a green hand made you shut up. "Fury” tilted his head with a slight “Ah, well.” 

“Is this about that Mysterio guy?” 

“We’ve got him at a site. Says he’s from another Earth and that these creatures destroyed his own and intend to destroy this one too.” 

“Another Earth? So, the multiverse.. it’s real?” 

“Fury” didn’t respond to that, but he simply rose and gestured over his shoulder to the window. 

“There is a car outside. Go and wait in it while I go get Peter. The big man told me I need to scare the kid.” You smiled at the thought as the man left to go retrieve your brother. 

You had been part of the world of superheroes far longer than Peter had. You had been there when Loki first attacked New York way back when and that seemed like so many years ago. With the blip, it seems like an entire eternity. Nick never let you in on his secrets of his relationship with Carol Danvers, but you had met the Skrulls when you went on a mission three months ago to visit Monica Rambeau in space. Unlike her, you weren’t blessed with some badass powers, though she didn’t always have them. 

Peter looked terrified walking out to the car and when he saw you inside, he breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t be alone. The site of S.H.I.E.L.D in Italy wasn’t far from where you had all taken up residence for the last day or two, but it was secluded, down in the catacombs of old buildings that no one would suspect. It reminded Peter of a Mission Impossible movie that you had watched with him before the two of you left for Europe, he felt more like a spy than a superhero in that moment. 

As you walked behind the two down the long corridors of the abandoned treasure that was used as a make-shift S.H.I.E.L.D, you were surprised to see Maria at a computer, though now knowing about Fury, you were sure it wasn’t even her. The center of the room was filled with scattered agents who you weren’t familiar with and then a projection in the middle of the room, along with the man without the helmet. 

You weren’t one for fawning over men. Jesus, you worked with Thor sometimes and while you were aware of his Godly looks, you never gawked. But this man, he wasn’t a God, he was just naturally beautiful. Dark hair, blueish-gray eyes that surely did pierce your soul, and a stature of a man who knew how to carry himself with power in the world. It was like he walked out of your dreams and into reality. 

“This is Mr. Beck.” Fury introduced you and Peter to the man. Mr. Beck approached Peter with a small smile and held out his hand. Peter looked nervous but responded with his own shake. 

“Mysterio?” 

“What?” 

“It’s just what my friends were calling you.” 

“Well, you can call me Quentin. You handled yourself well out there today. I saw what you did with the tower. We could use someone like you on my world.” 

Peter looked puzzled but Quentin looked behind the boy to you. He held out his hand with another smile which you returned. Maybe there was a shock when you touched hands, but you were sure it was just your imagination. 

“Y/n Parker, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

“It’s good to meet you, Y/n.” 

“Likewise.” 

Did time rush by faster when you were in the presence of someone you were obviously attracted to? Yes, because before you knew it, the night was over, and Fury was leading you and Peter back out to the car. Peter was absolutely smitten with Quentin and could hardly break conversation. The man gave the attention to Peter like Tony did. It was like life imitating itself in another time. Quentin reminded you so much of Tony. Smooth with words, handsome, gifted in almost an unfair way, and he took an interest in the last piece of close family you had. You wanted nothing more than for Peter to have a figure in his life to give him a positive purpose. With Tony gone, he’s struggled trying to find his niche again. 

“See you, kid.” Quentin looked disappointed but hopefully that his and Peter’s paths would cross again one day, even with Peter trying to avoid being identified by his class or the world. At some point, someone would figure it out if they hadn’t already. 

“Yeah, see you.” Peter said as he walked out, following Dimitri, who Fury ordered to keep Peter in check with you. You were more than capable of doing it yourself but for some reason, Fury felt the need to send another agent. 

“Good luck, Quentin.” You told him and he nodded his head, glancing at the holographic map of Venice next to him. 

“I fear I’ll need it. But I’m hopeful that the good luck will be for more than just winning this fight.”

Swoon. That’s what you did for the remainder of the night and into the early morning. You couldn’t sleep a wink after the revelations that Quentin relayed to you and Peter about the elementals. That worried you too. How in the world was Peter supposed to sit by while other heroes with indisposed and couldn’t help? Sam and Bucky were on their own missions, Carole and Monica were off, Stephen and Wanda were no use and Thor was off on his own adventures with that team of riff-raffs from space–you know, the one with the talking tree. 

But somewhere in all the jumble of thoughts, the scenery of the canal that had been a scene of something far different, calmed the noise. Enjoy the trip. This was the first time in years that you had traveled for something other than work and yet it was still filling every thought and moment. The thoughts were so loud and invasive that you didn’t register the person coming up to your right, ready to take the bag off your shoulders. You felt the tug and turned around, ready to punch the person but they dogged it, pulling it off your shoulder. It was a game of tug of war for the bag, but the person was strong. 

“Let go! I said let go!” You pulled as hard as you could, therefore the bag came flying back to you and its contents spread across the sidewalk. The person glanced at the wallet on the ground and then back at you before you both dove to the ground. They grabbed it first and you tackled them to the ground. Wrestling with grunts and yells, you hadn’t noticed the audience of one that rushed to help. A blast of green light shot the person off of you and you clutched the wallet to your chest tightly, trying to reel in your ragged breath. 

“I heard yelling from my hotel...” The hero started only to realize that it was you and with a turn of your head, you had realized it was him, Quentin. 

“Oh! Are you alright?” He extended a hand, which you readily took to stand. He then helped collect the scattered items and put them back in the now ripped bag before handing it back to you. 

“I’m fine. Thank you.” 

“It’s no problem.” There was a brief, awkward lull but you weren’t sure what else to say. 

“So, do you always wander around at night in a city you don’t know?” It was an icebreaker, a line that he knew would make you at least chuckle. 

“No... I just had a lot on my mind. What you told us in there–it’s a lot of information to retain.” 

“I’m sure an agent like you could handle it though.” You smiled bashfully at the compliment. Quentin gestured over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets. You realized he wasn’t wearing his uniform anymore but just a pullover sweater and some dark jeans. How he shot the green light in the first place you didn’t know, but all heroes worked a little differently you suppose. 

“Would you like to take a walk? I promise I won’t try to steal your wallet.” 

“How do I know I can trust you?” The conversation was so light, and carefree that for the first time in a long time, you felt like a normal person. Quentin returned your cheeky smile and began walking. 

“I’m pretty sure a woman like you could figure out who trust and who not avoid. Isn’t that what they train you for? Agents?” 

“I suppose so, yes.” 

“Can I ask you something?” You asked Quentin and he looked at you with a nod of his head. 

“How did you know the elementals would turn up in our Earth?” 

“Intelligence. My wife, she had worked for our version of your agency. Before they came to destroy our city, one had already manifested itself in Mexico. It was as if there would be a pattern to follow. So when she passed, I used her intelligence to figure out where they might be, which led me here.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“Thank you, it’s been some time now. She would be glad to see Peter helping me, and you helping out with the cause.” 

“Peter really took a liking to you. I could see it in the way he could barely contain himself.” You laughed, changing the heavy subject to one more light. 

“He’s a good kid. You’re related I assume?” 

“My little brother.” 

“You should be proud of him. He is doing a lot of good for the world. I just wish he was more confident in his abilities to realize identity protect isn’t everything.” 

Quentin was right, it wasn’t everything. But it was more than identity for Peter. It was also no Tony to lead the way, his want to be a normal kid, his need to have friends and well, MJ to like him. But neither of you would know what it was like to be a teen hero, that was a lot of unneeded pressure. 

“It seems that I brought you around full circle.” The sound of Quentin’s voice broke the silence and the realization that you were outside the barely standing hotel. You sighed and tugged the bag on your shoulder. 

“Thanks for saving the day, Mysterio.” 

“Anything to help protect Agent Parker.” 

If you hadn’t just met him a few hours ago, you would have asked him to come upstairs but that was far too forward for the world you created for yourself, so you extended your hand as he had earlier. 

“May our paths cross again.” 

He grasped your hand tightly and agreed. 

“Hopefully under better circumstances.” 

You watched then as he walked away, unaware of the man underneath the facade of Mysterio. How he already knew who you were, knew all your secrets, and was ready to manipulate you to take down the institution that denied him success so many years ago. 

[starshipsofstarlord]

First things First | Jack Kline & Peter Parker

Summary; Peter sees his ex back in town. Last time she was with her brothers, but this time, she has another companion. His name is Jack Kline, and he is her current boyfriend.

Warnings; some angst, jealousy, a bit of trash talk, smidge of violence, one swear word

“You’re back then.” Peter noticed, following you as you walked through the school halls, your head down as you attempted to ignore him. But however, you knew that you couldn’t pretend he wasn’t there forever, and so you softly sighed.

Last time, you hadn’t been in town too long, only a few weeks, cases were sprouting up left right and centre in Queens, and that was enough time for a relationship to briefly brew between the pair of you.

However, when the entourage of hunts came to an end, it had only been fair to cut sweet Peter loose, you hadn’t planned to return in any soon time. And here you were, a year in a half later, back in his hometown.

“You’re eyes are quite inquisitive, Parker, or do you need to ask me to put rock salt on my skin to prove that I’m not a ghost?” You barked back, which earnt yourself a confused frown.

“What?” He asked in reply, confused by your wording.

“Never mind, you wouldn’t get it.” You dismissed, having already had the intel and advice from your brothers that two different worlds didn’t mix.

Peter was but a boy, a smart one, but for all that you were aware, he lived a mundane life. He was bullied at school, but he had a couple of friends, Ned and MJ.

MJ. She had liked Peter before you had disappeared in the impala, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pair were together now. He had wanted to forget you, for causing him so much pain, he deserved to move on, as you had.

“What I got was that you told me you loved me, and then you went with the wind, and didn’t look back, not once.” He bit back, his statement making your body feel heavy.

It was guilt, a familiar feeling for a hunter. It often came when a life was lost by the life of a monster, and this time, it had been the same. You had taken away the happiness from your own life, you were the beast that ripped out someone’s heart.

“I did, but that doesn’t matter anymore Pete, I’m in love with somebody else. There’s nothing that I am entailed from hiding from him, no secrets, I can be myself with him.” You pursed your lips, relieved that you had got that off your chest.

“You never had to have secrets! Your family business is what dragged us down in the first place, you feel the need to follow your brothers around the world, and for what? To end up alone and unloved?”

“I love her.” Jack entered the hallway, he had been at the front office, asking about the plumbing, he said he heard a noise. It was what the victim had said before he died, and so the spawn of Lucifer was now questioning it.

Sam and Dean were downtown, at some bar, it had been where the victim had been, with a fake id, before his body had been found in the school bathroom. This left the group of you spread out, and operating around the city, wanting to find the creature that had ended the boy’s life.

Jack’s voice had been friendly, as though he were informing Peter of your relationship status. Neither of them knew each other, so he found no harm in letting the public know of your intimate bond.

The nephilim was most often than not a free speaker, he found no foul in letting his mouth run. He was so innocent, so pure, and perfect, you were pleased that you hadn’t tainted him nor gained his spite like you had with Peter.

“Jack, this is Peter. I met him last time I was around here. Peter, this is Jack, my boyfriend.” It was an awkward introduction, you held your hands together, watching as Jack held out his hand for your ex to shake.

Peter hesitantly shook Jack’s hand, lightly glaring at the boy. “It’s nice to meet a friend of y/n’s, not many that she has are her age.”

“Thanks for that Jack.” You laughed lightly, holding sweetly onto his arm, as to ensure him that he had done nothing wrong.

“We’re not friends.” Peter corrected him, squinting at you. “She doesn’t like the idea of any relationship with me, so she can pass on friendship.” He gave you one last look, before he walked away.

“Hi.” Jack saw your ‘friend’ in the hall, whilst you were questioning some other students. Peter reluctantly turned, going face to face with your boyfriend and partner in justifying crime.

“Hey.” His head briefly leant back, curious as to why the new boy was speaking to him. “Jack, right?”

“Yes, that is my name.” Jack nodded with a smile, the adorable gap in his teeth presenting itself clearly. “Have you felt any cold spots here recently, or smelt sulphur by any change?”

His question made Peter frown, he gulped and thought before he decided to answer. “I don’t know why your going around asking questions, but I also do not know why you’re dating y/n. She’ll break your heart, it’s what she does.”

“The two of you don’t sound like very good friends.” He speculated, tilting his head like a puppy dog, his bright eyes filled with curiosity.

“We weren’t just friends Jack, I’m surprised she didn’t tell you about me. Maybe there was a reason for that, you should ask her.” Peter crossed his arms, taking note of how he seemed to have angered the other boy.

The son of Lucifer was inhaling and exhaling through his nostrils, he was attempting to remain calm. But he couldn’t, his eyes seared with their golden pigment, and upon witnessing, Peter’s eyes widened and he was fast to sling webbing towards the mutant.

But it had no affect, not as Jack’s mouth opened, and a scream on another wavelength , which happened to throw the spider man backwards into the row of lockers. This was not normal, and Peter worried for the reason that you had the company of such a creature.

“What the hell are you?” Peter asked, wanting an answer so he could figure out a way to defeat him.

“I’m someone that loves y/n very much. Don’t worry, we won’t be in town much longer.” And with that, the strange and peculiar being walked away, leaving Peter stunned. For once, he wasn’t sure how he would improvise.

“You know the boy’s toilets are for guys, right?” Peter asked later in the day, as he watched you, whom was drenched in water, leave said restroom.

“I am more than aware, thankyou for that reminder Peter.” Each footstep dripped water upon the floor. That ghost had been a bitch to send off, but to your relief, you had done so.

“What are you doing here, really?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m going to be leaving tonight, I’ll be all out of your hair.” You spoke, trying to remain calm with your previous partner. “Have you seen Jack?”

“About that...” he noticed how you furrowed your brow with his words, and realised it would be better to get straight to the point. “He’s not normal, there’s something different about him. He’s dangerous.”

“I guess you witnessed something... supernatural?” He slowly nodded his head, thinking about how it could be considered as such. “Jack, he’s a nephilim, half angel, half human. That’s why I can’t stick around, my life is messy, and I have a duty to save people, you understand that, right?”

“Why would I understand that?” He hesitated, his voice stepping over his words in a worried stutter. “Angels?!” He repeated.

“Yeah, not every takes lightly to the news, and a bit of information; the majority are dicks.” You laughed, shoving your hands in your soggy pockets. “You really think I didn’t have a clue that I was dating a spiderman? I investigate abnormal occurrences for a living, it was quite easy to notice something was different about you.”

“So you look into things like cold spots and sulphur smells?” He remembered that was what Jack had mentioned earlier. Perhaps the possibility of angels wasn’t half crazy, the universe was expanding. It was certainly out there, but so was a talking, moving tree that enjoyed digital games and was experiencing puberty.

“Exactly.” You smiled, looking into his deep brown eyes, and finding some kind of peace between the pair of you.

“I think I saw Jack in the library.” He scratched the back of his neck, deciding to be a bigger person and give into the planet’s order.

“Thanks, see ya around Parker.” That expression you gave him shouldn’t have made him feel so giddy, he knew that this was another goodbye you were sending him. But the relief on your faces was beautiful.

You walked momentarily backwards, and he raised his hand in a signalled send off. He hoped that one day, he would see you again, maybe even with Blade as he killed vampires. Who knew?

One thing he was aware of was that you were happy with Jack, and that the two of you shared a life. You had an even amount of knowledge between you, and as much as Peter hated to admit it, you weren’t bound to leave the nephilim any time soon.

[rosaliestark01]

Dusk Till Dawn - Part 7

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: Peter and your friends realize that you’re in trouble, meanwhile Tony seeks advice from the other Avengers

Warnings: angst, injured characters, angry!Y/N

A/N: @annies-marvel-imagines will no longer be posting more parts, but she will still receive credit.

Tony paces around his lab, clearly thinking hard. Lately, that was where he spent most of his time. Currently, He was working on an upgrade for your suit. Usually, he'd have finished the upgrade weeks ago, but for some reason, it is never good enough, and he inevitably ends up scrapping it and starting over.

"Tony, you've been working for hours," Pepper says as she steps into the room. "Vision ordered pizza."

"I'm not hungry," he mumbles without looking up. This time, he was sure that he'd be able to finish the upgrade. Then, he'd be able to move on to upgrading Peter's suit, then his own.

"You've been saying that a lot lately." Pepper sighs as she walks up to him and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Does this have anything to do with Y/N?"

"You mean my daughter who hates me?" He mutters under his breath, but she heard it nonetheless.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just going through a tough time." Pepper was a teenager once, and she'd had times where her relationship with her parents wasn't perfect, despite them wanting the best for her. All she needed was time, and maybe you do too.

"Pep, she can barely look at me." In all his years of raising you, Tony had never thought that your relationship with him would ever become what it is now. "Did I do something wrong?"

Pepper didn't exactly know what to say to that. She didn't think that Tony did anything wrong, yet how could she make him see that?

"Come and eat. Maybe we can all talk about it downstairs," Pepper finally said as she leads Tony to where everyone else was waiting.

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

"Happy?"

Harley was currently poking Happy with a selfie stick he had found under someone's car in an attempt to wake him up. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, and Peter was starting to lose it.

"Dude, he's out cold," Harry groaned in annoyance that Harley actually thought that poking him could possibly wake him up. Harley rolled his eyes as he stood up, leaving the selfie stick next to Happy's motionless body.

Meanwhile, MJ was becoming fed up with Peter's constant pacing. She, and the rest of their friends, could clearly see that he was starting to lose his mind with worry, which was the least helpful thing at the moment.

"Sit down," MJ said to him in hopes that he'd calm down enough to think clearly. None of them could really be in the right state of mind while their superhuman friend was in panic mode.

"I can't-" He argued, and both Harry and Ned had to sit him down on a nearby bench. He seemed calmer, but not by much.

"Peter, just think for a second. Something isn't right," Ned exclaimed. It was pretty evident that something bigger was going on than just you going missing and Happy being knocked out.

"Yeah." Harley agrees, nodding his head while deep in thought, "Y/N goes missing, and Happy is out for the count."

"So someone took her?" Betty asks. Everyone was thinking it, but she was the first to say it aloud. It was scaring them how real this was starting to feel.

"Eloise," Peter huffed angrily. He should have known that she'd ruin everything, yet he allowed himself to let his guard down.

"Pete, Ellie didn't take Y/N," MJ sighed.

"Then who else could have?" He yelled. He was sick and tired of everyone seeing Eloise as an innocent misguided girl when in reality, she was the devil in disguise."I have told you guys since she moved here that she is bad news, but nobody listened! Now Y/N is gone, Happy is hurt, and I'm never going to see the love of my life again and-"

"Why would Eloise take Y/N?" Harley asked, not disagreeing with Peter though not wholly convinced. "What use would she have with her?"

"That's what I'm going to find out?"Peter stated as he stood up, his friends following close.

"You can't do that by yourself," MJ stated.

"I'll call Mr.Stark." ------------------------- "I dunno. It seems pretty clear that Y/N can't stand to be in the same room as him," Bucky stated bluntly, causing Steve to give him a light slap on the head.

"Buck," Steve scolded, but Bucky wasn't the only one who thought so.

"He has a point," Sam chimed in, although not wanting to be hit on the head like Bucky.

"Hey." Nat chastised. She's seen first-hand how much Tony cares about you. "It's pretty clear that Tony cares about Y/N. She is his daughter, after all."

"Does Y/N have a diary?" Rhodey asked, causing Pepper to glare at him.

"You're not going to read Y/N's diary," She states firmly. You deserve better than that. "That is a breach of privacy."

"So she has one?" Rhodey asks but quickly quiets down as soon as he sees the glare Pepper sends his way.

"Hey, it might give a reason for why she's so distant," Bucky mutters to the group, which provides mixed reactions. Few nod their heads in agreement, while few shake their head. Either way, they all have one thing in common, which is your best interests at heart.

"It might also give her a reason to distance herself even more. We want to gain her trust, not break it," Pepper argues sternly. She looks at Tony for backup, but one look at him tells that he is desperate for things to go back to the way they were.

"I'm gonna look," He finally says while getting up. Pepper gives him an incredulous look, so he continues, "Guys, this has gone too far. Whatever is wrong with Y/n has put her in danger. If Peter hadn't sensed that something was wrong, Y/N could be dead right now. I'm going to look."

For the past two weeks, he couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened at the bank. You could have died if Peter hadn't shown up. He was worried beyond belief that you'd not only die but die hating him.

"We all care about Y/N," Steve said, bringing some relief to Tony that at least someone was on his side. "She's a good kid, and as much as I disagree with invading her privacy, I do care about her safety. I think that any information could help. We need to get to the bottom of this."

Sighing, Pepper realized that maybe Tony and Steve were right. Something was going on with you, and she worried that it might get worse if something wasn't done soon.

"Well, I think it has something to do with that friend Y/N has been hanging out with," Bruce notes, causing everyone else to mumble words of agreement. Y/N hadn't started acting out until that troublemaker showed up.

"Agreed," Wanda said. "Nothing but trouble."

Everybody hesitantly makes their way into your room, and Nat's eyes immediately land on two flash drives, a red and a blue one,  next to your computer.

"Maybe these could be something?" She says, plugging the red flash drive into your computer. Suddenly, everything made sense. The flash drive was full of files about you that belonged to Hydra. It had almost everything to know about you, but the most concerning one shocked everyone.

"She knows I'm not her real dad," Tony sighs. Everybody, except for Pepper, seemed to be speechless. None of them woke up in the morning knowing that they'd find out that you weren't really Tony's daughter, much less discover that you had HYDRA files on your computer.

"What do you mean you're not her real dad?" Bucky asks, just as confused as everyone else.

"And you never thought to tell Y/N yourself?" Steve interjects sternly. This was something you had a right to know. Obviously, you'd get upset from finding out from someone else."Do you know who her real parents are?"

"That's not important," Tony snaps, causing Steve's blood pressure to rise. It seemed important enough to you for you to start shutting everyone out.  It's no wonder you couldn't trust anyone.

"It sounds like it is," He says coldly.

Before Tony could argue further, his phone started ringing. Judging from the ringtone, he could tell it was Peter, so he answered it quickly.

"What-?" Tony's exasperated voice was cut off by Peter's panicked rambling.

"Mr.Stark, Y/N's gone, and Happy is unconscious in the parking lot."

Everybody froze as soon as they realized what Peter was saying. Something had happened to you, and that was more important than finding out that Tony wasn't your biological dad.

"What?! What happened?"

"I don't know! She said she was going to the bathroom, and she never came back, and now Happy is lying unconscious in the middle of the parking lot, and I don't know what to do!"'

By now, everyone was panicking. This was definitely a million times worse than the bank incident because nobody knows where you are, who you're with, or what you're doing.

"Okay, just stay there. Someone will come to get you."

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

"Are you going to tell me what the emergency is?" You ask Ellie as she drives you towards the city. You didn't need super senses like Peter to know that this was beyond suspicious. It wasn't sitting well with you at all.

"Your dad is hurt," she muttered, but you heard her nonetheless.

"My dad?" Worry began to flow through you until you remembered that Ellie had no way to know something like that.  "How? He was at the compound-"

"Your real dad," she agitatedly reminded you as she rolled her eyes. It made your blood boil how rude she was being. This wasn't like her at all, and you couldn't help but want to get as far away as possible.

The rest of the car ride was silent until you arrived at Ezekiel's apartment. It didn't look any better than when you were last there. In fact, it looked more run-down than it was before.

The moment Ellie pulled out a key to unlock the apartment, your suspicion grew tenfold. Why would she have access to his apartment?

"What happened?" You sighed as you both entered the apartment to find Ezekiel sitting on the recliner with a bloodied rag pressed to his side. It looked like he had the injury, but the pain didn't seem as apparent as it should. Your "dad" wasn't any better than she was, but that didn't mean that you let him get hurt. Still, he gave you the same weird vibes that Ellie did.

"Tony Stark happened," he barked. He suddenly stood up and began going through his drawers and sloppily throwing. "We need to get somewhere safe."

"Not until one of you tells me what the hell is going on," You say. Things were going so well until Ellie showed up. Now you have a headache and a possibly massive problem in the form of two suspicious individuals.

"Stark found out that you've been meeting with me," he explained, but you weren't buying it. The only people who knew were You, him, and Ellie. You even made sure that you weren't being followed.

"How?" You ask, crossing your arms, waiting for a good enough response.

"I don't know, but he showed up at my apartment and beat the living hell out of me," He retorted, his face scrunching up in anger.

You look at Ellie, who is standing by the door. To anyone else, it seems like she's just standing there, but you've had enough training from Nat and Bucky to know when someone is blocking an exit.

"I don't believe this." You mutter to yourself.

"You think I just happened to end up like this?" Ezekiel yells. You couldn't believe that you were stupid enough to fall for this. Their constant push for you to turn your back on your family was a huge red flag that you ignored. Not to mention you haven't forgotten that time that Ezekiel forgot your mom's name.

"What do you need my help with?" You ask, realizing that the only way out of this is to play along.

"I need you to help me destroy the Avengers."

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[ptergwen]

4 times peter loved you and 1 time he said it

warnings: angst, swearing, and flash being a dickwad (love him tho)

a/n: i wasn’t sure if i would ever finish this bc i started in march? and gave up but i really like the concept so i made myself get back into it and AHH i’m really happy with how it turned out! fingers crossed y’all like too ahaha. also this is unrelated but send me requests!

-

to say you and peter were each other’s missing halves would be an absolute understatement. there wasn’t a secret you didn’t share, an inside joke you didn’t have, a text or call left unanswered, or a second you weren’t on the other’s mind.

it had been like that since your first day of freshman year. you took the seat next to peter in first period spanish, and the rest was history.

peter knew you better than you knew yourself. as cheesy as it sounded, it was true. he could guess what you were going to order at a restaurant before you picked up the menu. if you had a bad day, he’d come over to your place with tissues and hugs, without you having to ask. he knew all the little things.

you? you were a peter parker encyclopedia. you watched all his favorite movies so he could rant to you about them, and you’d actually understand what he was saying. whenever he felt overwhelmed by his chaotic life, you found a way to calm him.

you two were soulmates in best friend form.

best friends, nothing more.

♡ 1.

you had an arm around peter’s neck as you picked at some fruit on his lunch tray. his head was resting comfortably against your cheek, whole body leaning on you. impromtu cuddle sessions weren’t unusual for the two of you. they worked in both of your favors. peter was your own personal heater, and you were just really comfortable to nap on, in his opinion.

“are you gonna eat all my grapes? i was looking forward to those,” peter whined, taking one out of your hand. “are you gonna keep using me as a pillow?” you challenged. he responded by moving his head to your shoulder and chewing. “then, yes. i am gonna eat all your grapes.”

“you know what two people who share food are?” ned chimed in from across the cafeteria table. already knowing what he was implying, you sighed. “what, ned?” he cupped his hand over his mouth like he was about to spill the world’s biggest secret. “a couple.”

it wouldn’t be a regular day without ned trying to play matchmaker for you and peter. the idea made peter scoff. “leave us alone, man. that doesn’t even make sense.” “yes it does!” ned nudged mj for backup. she only raised her hands in defense. it was always a hard pass from her on getting involved in these types of things, unless she found a reason to.

“really? how?” you grabbed peter’s milk and took a sip just for the hell of it. he chuckled at that, forgetting he was supposed to be annoyed with you. a bit of milk dripped down your chin in the process. “oops,” you grimaced at yourself and licked it away.

something about the whole thing made peter’s heart clench. it was so... you were so... cute. cute was definitely the word he was looking for. wait, what? that was new. peter had always thought you were pretty and all, but he’d never found himself endeared like this over such a little thing you did. or had he? no. nope. it was ned’s stupid theory messing with him. that was all.

“y/n, dude, everyone knows it’s a thing. like, why else would someone give up their whole lunch? it’s flirting,” ned interrupted peter’s sudden thoughts about your cuteness. the smug look on his face made you want to throw the tray at him.

before you even joined their friend group, ned was on a mission to set the two of you up. peter described you to him and mj as “the actual sweetest girl ever. she makes me laugh a lot. you guys gotta meet her.” mj obviously ‘tsked’ at him, but a light bulb went off in ned’s head. peter was crushing. he just didn’t know it yet.

part of how you and peter got so close was that ned and mj used to back out of group plans. you’d end up hanging out alone most of the time. of course, it was ned’s idea. a successful idea, yes, but neither of you understood the obsession. apparently it was a guy in the chair’s duty to be a good wingman, and you should leave it to him. whatever that meant.

“if i remember correctly, you and your mom went halfsies on a piece of cake at your birthday party last year. what are you trying to tell us, leeds?” mj asked with a smirk. you and peter looked at each other and burst into laughter, ned’s mouth hanging open. the girl could really get someone when she wanted to.

“shut up, you guys! that’s different!” “so is y/n stealing my food and you calling it sharing,” peter made a point of saying more to you than ned. despite his words, he pushed the tray over to you. it was basically yours, anyway.

you thanked him with a pat on his cheek and popped more grapes into your mouth. in that moment, peter decided he’d get you all the grapes in the world if he could. jeez, he seriously needed to reel it in.

ned was only going to keep going now. “see that? peter’s such a sweet boyfriend. isn’t he, y/n?” he cooed and clasped his hands under his chin. you didn’t have the chance to change the topic before flash appeared at your table. he’d probably overheard your conversation. “penis parker is somebody’s boyfriend? good one.”

feeling peter tense up next to you, you put a hand on his shoulder to let him know you were there. you’d been in too many of these situations. the way flash talked to peter pissed you off in ways you didn’t think were possible. he was fine with everybody else, so why did he choose to pick on him? peter was the least deserving person of having to put up with it from anyone.

“just ignore him, okay? he’ll get bored and leave. works every time,” you reminded peter. too uneasy to say anything, he reached back and put his hand on top of yours. he tried to focus on how nice your touch felt instead of the fact that he was about to be humiliated by flash yet again.

“peter could totally get a girlfriend! he has, like, tons of girls after him,” ned attempted to back peter up, pleased with himself. groaning, peter put his head down on the table. he couldn’t bare to watch his friend destroy what was left of his social life. “you’re really pushing this now. stop talking,” mj warned in a whisper yell to ned. that didn’t stop flash from hearing her.

“she’s right. even parker agrees! look at him,” he snickered at peter’s embarrassed state. you’d had more than enough of him at that point. screw the silence. it wasn’t going to cut it for this one. while wingman ned was still making up stories, you tapped peter’s shoulder to find out how he was doing. his head remained down.

“you okay? want me to say something?” “i’m used to it, and no. i don’t wanna make you deal with him.” peter hated putting his issues on other people, but you couldn’t stand another second of listening to the things flash was saying. you cut into an argument between him and ned about peter’s body count. like his was any higher.

“fuck off, flash!” he stopped in the middle of his sentence. “huh?” “i said fuck off. anyone would be so lucky to date peter. you’re probably salty at him all the time because it’ll never be you,” you finally snapped. his tough guy persona faltered for a few seconds at your words, ned and mj taking the opportunity to high five you for telling him off.

peter was glad his head was still down because his cheeks were pinker than he’d like to admit. did you really mean that? would you be lucky to date him, too?

“what are you, president of the parker protection squad? or are you two a thing?” flash quickly recovered. there he went trying to get the last word in. the embarrassment for peter if you denied it was exactly what he wanted, but you weren’t letting him have it.

“ask me again some other time.” you plastered on a shit-eating grin and waved goodbye. unsatisfied with your answer, flash huffed his way back to his own table. after he was gone, peter looked up at you with something you’d never seen before twinkling in his eyes.

“thank you, y/n. you really didn’t have to say all of that.” “oh, no. don’t thank me. i‘d do it for you anytime. i am president of the parker protection squad, after all.” your fake smile turned into a genuine one for him. peter couldn’t help but mirror it.

his was heart doing that thing again. he guessed it was because he loved you so much, but this love felt different somehow. it wasn’t the friend kind of love he’d had for you all those years.

it was the kind of love he saw in the rom coms you made him watch when you got to pick for movie night. cupid’s love was the official name for it. when he put two and two together, the realization smacked him straight in the face. ned was right.

peter was starting to fall in love with you, and there was no way he could stop.

♡ 2.

peter was a workaholic. patrolaholic to be exact, especially when he had a reason. he’d sometimes find himself in a cycle of getting home late and going out early for days on end. he’d gotten used to the sleep deprivation. his grumbling stomach from missing meals wasn’t too big of a deal either. not when he had a city to save.

it was also a good distraction from everything else going on in his life. man, did he need a distraction. after peter came to terms with the fact that he loved loved his best friend, he narrowed it down to two options; telling you about his feelings or taking them to his grave. since the city was so busy, he was thankful he could throw himself into patrolling and not decide just yet.

may would usually only allow peter to patrol on weekends. school existed, and he had to take breaks. peter really wanted to help out more, so he proposed an idea that could potentially let him up it to the full seven days. he had to make it home in one piece every night for a trial week. that would prove to may he could handle it.

ignoring his black eye on tuesday and limp on thursday, it worked out. peter was positive he could finish off the week just fine. may didn’t have the same optimism. she decided that so much as a scratch on friday and it was strike three. friday came, and peter had impressively managed to end the day, like he thought, just fine.

he did one last swing around the neighborhood he was in, then started heading back to queens to gloat to may. on his way, he remembered he had to text you goodnight. he was bound by a pinky swear to you that he would do it every time he finished patrolling.

peter being spider-man was something you figured out only a few months after he got his powers. he technically exposed himself, and you pieced everything together. it all happened when spider-man offered to walk you home from school one day.

the way he rubbed the back of his neck while asking was a nervous habit that was oddly familiar, and urged you to say yes. you also thought it was strange how even though he didn’t ask for your address, he somehow knew where he was taking you. then again, he was spider-man. it was his job to know new york city and the people living in it.

you came to the conclusion you were making things up until he was about to leave. he walked you to the door of your apartment building and said, “stay safe, squirt.” nobody called you that besides peter. he came up with it because he had recently grown a few inches taller and could finally give you hell for being the short one.

needless to say, peter didn’t take off like he was intending to. he realized his slip up as soon as the nickname came out of his mouth. you brought him upstairs and had a long afternoon of questioning, explanations, and making promises.

peter typed out a message telling you he was fine and to go to sleep. as he was about to hit send, he swung too low and smacked his head right into a traffic light. that was what he got for texting while swinging. he could imagine mj giving him one of her famous safety lectures already, but that wasn’t first on his list of worries. he had a throbbing head and may’s third strike to deal with.

crap, may couldn’t know about this. she’d ban him from patrolling probably forever. going home was out of the question, but peter was in desperate need of an ice pack. there was already a bump forming from where the light hit him. his next choice would be to go to happy, only he couldn’t do that because he‘d tell may.

peter’s hands worked faster than his brain, and he started swinging over to your apartment. the overthinking began soon after. nobody wants to deal with a surprise appearance from their possibly concussed friend at 2 a.m. besides, what would he say? he’d barely seen you all week. it wasn’t fair to you, but it was too late to turn back.

peter landed on the sidewalk with an “oof” and crawled up the wall of your building. when he reached your window, he knocked in the same rhythm that he always did. no answer. he knocked louder. no answer again.

seeing as he had no other option, peter had to let himself in. he pushed on your window to see if it was unlocked. thank god it slid up then, but he made a mental note to remind you about keeping it locked another time. he climbed through the window with as little noise as possible so your family wouldn’t hear.

after navigating in the dark, peter pulled off his mask by the side of your bed. he instantly melted at the sight of you. your face was squished into your pillow, hair sprawled everywhere. you’d must have fallen asleep waiting for his text because you were holding your phone. peter was sure he’d never seen something so adorable.

he let himself stand there and watch the peaceful rise and fall of your chest. the bump on his head was no longer a priority. peter was utterly and completely entranced with you. god, why was he acting like this? oh, right. he was secretly in love with you.

before peter could help himself, he brushed some hair that had fallen into your eyes away with his fingers. you squirmed in your sleep, peter pulling his hand back. he was such an idiot sometimes. your eyes fluttered open and landed on him.

“peter? ‘s that you?” you squinted to see in the darkness of your room. he moved closer. your legs dangled over the bed as you slowly sat up. “yeah, it’s me. sorry to wake you.” he went to scratch his head out of nerves, but stopped when he remembered it really freaking hurt right there.

“‘s okay. i was hoping you’d come over soon. missed you all week.” you frowned at the red and blue clad boy in front of you. except for school, you hadn’t seen peter the past few days. “lots of crime to fight lately?” “missed you more, and yeah. been kicking lots of asses.” the awkwardness peter was imaging faded away when he plopped down next to you on your bed.

“how’s your eye doing? and the limp?” you turned his head towards you by his chin. he exhaled in relief. “getting better, i think. now that we’re talking about injuries...” the sleepiness was knocked out of you. you all but leapt to your feet and turned on the lamp by your bed. peter had a feeling you’d slightly freak.

“we’ve been making small talk and you’re hurt? what happened, peter?” “i-i sort of, um, i was texting you and swung into a traffic light.” “oh my god, where?” he pointed at his forehead with a weak smile. surely enough, there was a big bump. you gasped. “please don’t be mad at me.” “i’m not mad at you. just feel bad it was kinda my fault. do you think you have a concussion?”

you weren’t sure what to do beyond the mostly useless first aid videos they played in gym class. being an avenger, peter had had his share of experience with wounds. whenever he came to you hurt, he talked you through how to help him. the most you’d ever dealt with was a few particularly deep cuts. this was not the same.

“i‘m not sure. you could try that finger thing?” he suggested. you crouched down in front of him. “good idea. let’s do that.” as you waved your index finger back and forth and peter’s eyes followed it seemingly well, his mind was elsewhere. he was thinking about crawling into bed with you and sleeping in your arms.

“well, you passed or whatever they say. i’m pretty sure you don’t have a concussion. you’ll heal fast because of... you know.” you stood up and mimicked the way he shoots his webs. peter chuckled quietly. your thumb ran lightly over his bump, making him wince. “how bad does it feel?” “on a scale from one to ten it’s, like, a five and a half.”

although not what you wanted to hear, it was manageable. you hoped so, at least. “i’m gonna go get some stuff. change into comfortable clothes.” “yes, doctor y/n.” peter saluted you. you were happy to see he still felt up to joking around. biting your lip to hold back a smile, you made your way to the kitchen.

peter searched through the spare clothes he’d left here over the years. there were so many, you had to give him a drawer. he changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt, then sat back down criss cross on your bed.

you came in shortly after with a water bottle, two advil, and an ice pack wrapped in a towel. “i was kidding about the whole doctor thing, you know.” “too bad.” you handed him the advil and water. “take these. they’ll help until your magic healing powers kick in.” peter took the pills while you pressed the ice pack to his bump. he took it from you when he was finished.

“is that any better?” “much better. i’m all good. i should probably go soon.” he mumbled, not meaning it but also not wanting to overstay his welcome. you’d already done so much for him. you stopped him from getting up by putting a hand on his chest.

“what? you already changed, and i’m not sending you home to get killed by may. just stay.” “are you sure? i don’t wanna bother you anymore. it was annoying for me to come here so late in the first place.”

a frown set on your face. “peter, don’t you remember my promise?” there was a beat of silence while he thought about it. “that you’d help out with spidey stuff?” “however and whenever i can. i don’t know what made you think differently just now, but nothing’s gonna change that. doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night or early in the morning. i’m always here.”

only you could reassure him just like that. peter was really lucky to have you. really, really lucky.

“right. you’re right. sorry for... whatever that was.” “you apologize too much.” you poked his chest to punctuate your statement and switched the light off. “sorry for that, too,” he teased, wanting a reaction from you. “peter benjamin parker, just get in the bed.” “yes, ma’am.” that was enough before you changed your mind and threw him out.

you rolled to lay on the other side of peter. still pressing the ice pack to his head, he laid down next to you. it didn’t take long for both of you to be settled under the covers. “try not to bang into the wall or something,” you joked and pulled your comforter up to your chin.

peter puffed some air out of his cheeks, tugging more of it back. “you can’t be mean and hog the blanket.” “it’s my bed, so i actually can. i’ll hog everything.”

to prove your point, you moved over to peter until there was no room between you. both of you knew it was an excuse to cuddle. he wasn’t mad about it at all. peter opened an arm for you. you curled into his side, letting him hold you close. his whole body relaxed as you hugged him against you. “goodnight, spidey.” “night, squirt.”

♡ 3.

“what does that cloud look like to you?” you pointed up at the sky. peter’s eyes darted around as he tried to find exactly which one you were talking about. there were a lot of them, in his defense. you made a big circle with your finger around the cloud in question.

“the really curvy one. right there.” “kinda looks like a tiger. can we keep walking now?” peter tugged your arm linked in his in an attempt to move you from the spot you’d randomly stopped in. he made a whiny noise when you didn’t budge.

“i think it looks more like a horse, and no. why are you in such a rush?” furrowing your brows at him, you tightened your grip on his arm. “because some people don’t like cloud watching, grandma.” “i only asked you about one! i’m just... trying to get the most out of today.”

with college around the corner, you and peter both had a lot to do and a little bit of time to get it done. your only hangouts had become some shared extracurriculars and weekly study group with your other friends. trying to binge watch your shows together on facetime hadn’t been easy, for one thing. you fumbled to keep your phone up more than you payed attention.

on a more serious note, being apart sucked majorly. it was going to be this times a million when you would inevitably have to split up in a few months. thinking about it for too long usually made you cry.

peter was struggling in other ways. his more than a friend feelings for you were only getting stronger. having all that love and not being able to give it to you was hurting like hell, and he had to just pack everything up and act normal during the rare moments you were together. you were both going through it.

this was the first sunday in what felt like forever that you and peter were both free. you decided that the nice weather called for a meetup at central park. so, there you were, arm in arm on your afternoon stroll.

“don’t say it like that, y/n. you’re making me sad.” peter let out a breath as you rested your head on his shoulder. “that was the point.” you started walking again, peter following next to you. he kicked at pebbles while you smiled up at him. that made him smile at his feet. you were getting really good at making him flustered.

“so, did you finish that pre calc packet?” peter asked to distract himself. you lifted your head off his shoulder with a groan. “peter, we’re not talking about school for once. let’s talk about literally anything else.” “like what?” you were about to make a suggestion, but something caught your attention.

you raced over to a swingset, dragging peter along with you before he could realize where you were taking him. you stopped in front of it and threw your hands up to present it to him. he let out a breathy laugh. “when was the last time you went on one of these?” you asked, taking peter’s arm again. peter shook his head. “way too long ago.”

with a smile, you walked him over and took a seat on one of the swings. peter sat on the one next to you. you spun around in a circle to see how much you could twist the chains, peter laughing. “y/n, what are you doing?” “having fun. you should try it sometime.” he backed up to get himself started and grabbed his own chains. “i do have fun. it’s just not in the ways you think.”

you untwisted yourself to watch peter. “so, how?” “well,” he started going higher, “i like learning about stuff, even the things we have to in school.” “everybody knows that. that’s the first thing i thought of.” you did know everything possible about him.

everything except his new feelings for you, but this wasn’t the time for him to blurt that out. he was still figuring out when or if he should.

“guess i’m not gonna say i like movies, either.” “singing?” you were swinging next to him, turning it into an unspoken competiton for who could get the highest. peter slowed down a bit since he’d had a head start. “i suck. the only person who’s allowed to hear me is you.”

“it’s possible to suck at something and still enjoy it.” the breeze blew your hair around, peter seeing it from the corner of his eye. he’d always loved how carefree you were around him. it rubbed off.

“remind me to force you to do karaoke one day.” “you’re so annoying.” that motivated you to kick off harder on the ground. peter huffed and tried to catch up to you. “don’t be mean to your only source of fun.” if that wasn’t true, he would’ve came up with a comeback.

the only time peter remembered to relax was when he was with you. it was usually because you reminded him. he skidded to a stop on the swing and looked up at you.

“why’d you let me win? was that too mean?” you looked over your shoulder. “nah, i just got tired.” “oh. we can do something else now. catch me?” “sure,” peter chuckled and got off the swing. he stood in front of you on the grass and waited for you to get lower. you clenched your teeth into a nervous smile.

“ready?” “ready.” swinging towards him, you jumped off and expected to land in his arms. you ended up completely on top of him instead.

the wind was knocked out of both of you, but peter had it worse because he broke your fall. your hands were on his shoulders and one of his was around your lower back. neither of you realized the position you were in. you were too busy trying to breathe again.

“god, that hurt.” “my bad,” peter mumbled. in any other circumstance, he wouldn’t be complaining about this. “i should’ve warned you or something,” you dismissed him.

you were still hovering over peter, your lips dangerously close to his. he could’ve sworn they almost touched. that was when you got off of him. he only forced out a laugh. nothing ever went his way. you offered him a hand, oblivious to his inner conflict. peter took it and pulled himself up, falling into step next to you as you headed to another path.

that could’ve been a chance to make some sort of move, and he blew it.

♡ 4.

it hadn’t been easy for peter to move on from that day. his mind kept replaying the split second you almost kissed on an endless loop, and all he could do was come up with what he should’ve done in the moment.

things were getting to a point where he had no clue how to act around you. being your friend was hard, but becoming your boyfriend would be that much harder. his stupid feelings put him in an awkward place, and he was afraid you were starting to realize. he couldn’t lose you altogether.

you asked peter to meet you for coffee after school. it was this small place in between your apartments you’d both been to once before. they had really good cookies and an overall cozy feeling you liked. peter wasn’t sure what this was all about.

were you going to confront him? did ned say something? maybe it was a mistake to confide in his most gossipy friend about how he felt.

with a headache from stress and a heavy backpack hanging off his shoulders, peter walked into the café. he spotted you at a table near the window. you’d already taken the liberty of ordering, two drinks and a chocolate chip cookie waiting there. you looked up from your phone when peter pulled a chair out.

“hi.” you gave him a small smile and put your phone down. “i already got everything.” peter shrugged off his backpack with a grin. he sat down facing you. “thanks. sorry i’m kinda late. i had to stop at my locker.” you usually met him there. come to think of it, why hadn’t you today? you pushed peter’s drink over to him. “you’re fine. i came here early to get us a table, anyway.” phew.

peter bent the straw to his iced macchiato and took a sip. it made him feel grown up, casually drinking coffee with you over a boring conversation. adult life must’ve sucked. “so, how was the rest of your day?” he asked to fill the silence. you only had two classes without him after lunch, so that was a dumb question. he’d never had so much trouble talking to you.

“eh. betty fell asleep on me during this cold war documentary we had to watch.” “didn’t she say american history is her favorite?” you broke off a piece of the cookie with a laugh. “not after that. what about your day?” the light from the window was shining directly on you, blocking out everything else from peter’s view. he wanted to tell you how beautiful you were so bad, but that would be creepy.

you took a bite of your cookie and raised an eyebrow. he was staring. “uh, nothing interesting. i’m gonna patrol a little bit later.” peter sipped his drink again. you clicked your tongue and let out a breath. “that’s all you do these days.” he knew you were catching on to how off he’d been. what was he supposed to say? it would’ve helped if he’d prepared a few excuses.

“just trying to help out while i’m still here.” that was a half truth. “yeah, but you should still take some time for yourself.” you ripped open your straw wrapper and blew it at peter. he caught it just before it hit his face. rolling your eyes, you put the straw into your drink. “i hate your reflexes sometimes.” he shrugged one of his shoulders casually. “jealousy is a disease.”

neither of you said anything for a few minutes. you stared out the window while peter finished the rest of the cookie. he could tell something was on your mind. whenever you were deep in your thoughts, you sort of zoned out like this.

he was too nervous to ask you what was wrong because of the conversation you just had. it sounded like you had already considered he was being distant before today. his feelings aside, he needed to reassure you. that was more important.

“y/n?” you turned your head to look at him. “yeah?” peter’s gaze shifted from you to his thumbs twiddling in his lap. “i know we’ve both been really... busy lately, but i’m still here. don’t forget that.” a hint of a smile played on your lips. you would’ve hugged him if you could reach. “thank you, peter. i kinda needed to hear that.” he nudged your leg under the table. “of course. hey, you wanna come with me tonight?”

a couple of hours later, you were in peter’s arms on a rooftop that was much higher up than it looked. he insisted on taking you for a swing so you could get the full experience. he’d been trying to get you to do this for the longest time, so he wondered what made you agree today. you wanted to find out what was so enjoyable about it.

“i trust you, but you’re not gonna drop me, right?” your legs were around his waist, and he had one hand supporting you by your back. that wasn’t terrifying at all. you grabbed peter’s shoulders, the idea of it making you nervous. he wrapped his arm tighter around you.

“oh my god, no. i can always web you back up.” “peter! that’s not funny.” even behind the mask, you could tell he was smirking. “you’re always safe with me, squirt. don’t worry.” you brought your arms up to loop around his neck.

“i feel better now.” “good. i’m gonna jump when we get to the edge, okay?“ your whole body stiffened up. peter could sense it. as excited as he was to share this with you, he didn’t want to make you feel pressured. “or we don’t have to do it.” his voice was quiet. you tried to relax in his hold. “i’m just gonna close my eyes. i think that’ll help.” “we’re about to find out.”

peter started walking towards the edge of the building with you holding on even tighter to him, your eyes squeezed shut. he kept finding himself in situations where he was close to you in the ways he’d been wishing for, but never for the same reasons. it was bittersweet.

he bit down on his lip and aimed his free hand at a building. you squealed when he leaned back. “i’m jumping now,” he prepared you, and before you could respond, you were in the air. you hid your face in peter’s chest the second you felt yourself pretty much flying.

“what the fuck, you like this?” you had to yell so he could hear you. peter shot another web to keep swinging. “it’s really not that bad! try looking up!” he shouted back, clearly amused.

grip tightening around his neck, you slowly pulled your face away from him. he kept you close as he swung. you somehow convinced yourself you weren’t going to die by looking at something besides peter. your eyes landed on the sky behind his head.

the sun was almost completely set, deep pink and orange merging together against the glowing lights of the city. you were finally understanding why he liked this so much. it was beautiful.

peter peeked at you for a second to check on you. he swore his heart was going to explode out of his chest. the look of adoration on your face, it was even better than the view. it was the view. the little moments where peter got to see you this way made him realize how in love with you he really was.

“this is... wow. i get it now,” you laughed in disbelief, watching as the city whirled past you. peter smiled so big it hurt. “pretty awesome, huh?” one of your hands slid back down to his shoulder. “take me with you more often.”

♡ 5.

peter licked his lips out of habit as he held the door open for may, who was following behind him with a look of pride. he was about to graduate high school. the ceremony was being held in a really nice stadium-like place. trying to find it added minutes on to the parker tradition of being late to everything important.

peter wasn’t as concerned with his tardiness as he was with finding you.

while he tossed and turned in bed the night before, he went over his whole school year in his head. that meant little things and big things. he was starting to drift off until he remembered a conversation with ned a few weeks back. they decided on a deadline for peter to tell you about his feelings, and it was before graduation.

they chose it because if peter got rejected, he’d be over it by the time college started. that was the goal.

it wasn’t that peter had changed his mind. it was that he completely forgot. he didn’t have a solid plan for what he should do. these things needed to be decided way in advance. he ended up pulling something together last minute because it was you. plus, this extra pressure gave him the push to go through with it. somewhere between steps seven and eight, he passed out.

may rushed him to get ready because he’d slept past his alarm. the whole morning was a mess, and he had at most fifteen minutes to confess his love to you by the time he got there.

“you should go make sure you’re marked here. i’ll see you after. love you.” may pressed a kiss to his cheek and half-jogged to the auditorium for a seat. he squeezed her arm and headed off to check in. your whole grade was already lined up along the walls for what looked like miles. the deal was to tell you before graduation. he still had about ten minutes.

peter walked past hundreds of students with his heartbeat thumping in his ears. everyone was in alphabetical order, so it didn’t take too long to find you. relief washed over you when you saw peter. you were worried he wouldn’t show up at all. his cap was in his hand, hair getting tangled from running his fingers through it. he looked at you with pleading eyes.

“finally, i’ve been trying to call you all morning. where were you?” your tone was dripping with concern. “i overslept. there’s something i gotta tell you, y/n.” he gulped. you smiled in a way that was kind of pitying. “we’re about to start going inside. i- you have to wait, pete. go get lined up.”

this wasn’t how it was going to end. not again.

he looked around to see who was watching, then he grabbed your wrist. “peter, what are you-“ “just come with me really quick.” despite yourself, you let him lead you down the hallway. you dodged a couple of teachers having a conversation and went into a bathroom that was vacant by some chance. he let go of you after the door shut. you stood behind it while he walked over to a sink.

it was making you anxious to not be out there. you could be late. peter was the same way when it came to school, so you knew this had to be pretty serious. you gave up the battle with yourself and made your way over to him. he was looking at himself in the mirror, trying to get a stray curl back in place.

“let me help.” you stood next to him. he turned to face you, that same look of urgency still in his eyes. you used two fingers to brush through his hair. there was so much gel that it was wet enough to mess with. you smiled a bit and took your hand out of his hair. his hand was gripping the sink.

“you look good, pete. you smell good, too.” “so do you.” his voice was lower than usual. you flattened out the material of your blue gown. “thanks. so, talk to me. what’s up?”

the question was so simple, but way too many answers were running through peter’s brain. he wasn’t even sure he’d have enough time to explain everything now. this was why he needed a written out and carefully crafted plan.

but, like he said to himself last night, this was you. his best friend in the entire world and any other that might exist. the person who’s been there for his most embarrassing moments, and who’s been responsible for some of his best ones. if he couldn’t finally say the three words he’d said to you so many times before, what was the point?

his fingers drummed a steady rhythm while he mustered up the last remaining bit of courage in him. you watched him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. “just, um...” he was stalling. he pulled his hand off the sink. “i... love you.” peter only glanced at you for a second, too afraid to see your reaction. “i love you, too. is everything okay?” his heart sank. you thought he meant it in the friend way.

that was what he got for being so terrible with words.

“no, y/n. not like that.” he blurted. you were lost. peter pressed his back against the wall and sat down. confused and equally worried, you sat next to him on the floor. “then what do you mean? you’re scaring me.” he checked the watch may made him wear to see how much time was left before graduation. four minutes. he really should’ve woken up on time.

“we have to get back in line soon. i don’t wanna miss-“ “i love you, y/n. i’m in love with you.” a weight that had been on peter’s chest for months was lifted just by saying it. you squinted your eyes at him, but said nothing.

“i’ve been trying to tell you for a while, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. i just had to say it.” “fuck, are you serious?” you sounded what peter could only describe as disappointed. yeah, it was unrequited. here came a summer of crying. “i was gonna tell you first.”

peter’s breath hitched in his throat, and he swore you could hear it. he was so sleep deprived that it felt like he was hallucinating. you shook your head as heat came to your cheeks.

“how long have you...” peter trailed off, an eye crinkling smile interrupting him. “that day we went for coffee. something clicked, so i thought for a while and figured it out. i think i’ve loved you for a really long time.”

you inched closer to peter, just barely resting your head on his shoulder. for once, you felt like the shy one. he put his hand on top of yours. his thumb traced over each of your fingers. “i’d ask you out, but you know. we don’t really have time.”

“peter, it won’t take that long.” you giggled. he squeezed your hand in his. “hm. y/n, would you wanna go out with me after this?” you thought about teasing him for it, but he was right. you had to go. that was the friend still in you. “i’d love to go out with you, peter.”

with that, you both jumped to your feet and ran out of the bathroom. you were still holding hands, and a few classmates made faces when you rushed past them to get to your spots. you exchanged one last smile with peter before lining up.

the person in front of you said everybody was looking for you two. honestly, you didn’t care all that much. you were too excited for your date later. peter already knew he’d be checking his watch throughout the whole ceremony.

it was a best friend and soulmate thing.

[magalidragon]

For the Drabble challenge: 29 + 30 please! 😁

Here’s one! I have #30 coming up in a minute! This is set in a new universe, just something sweet and soft and maybe a tad angsty!

Safe Haven | 29. “Come over here and make me!”

"Daenerys get down from there and come here!"

"Come over here and make me!"

Jon muttered under his breath, storming towards the large oak tree behind his house-- and hers-- rummaging around in the dirty leaves and mud to find the knot at the base where he put his foot and then the groove just a foot above his head for his hand, beginning to haul himself up the back way towards the house above him.  "I'm going to kill you," he vowed, hating when he had to get up this way because she'd cranked up the rope ladder.

He emerged at the top, crawling over ungracefully onto the platform and fell to prop his back against the wall, peering into the treehouse where she sat, her face a beautiful mess of fury, fire, and pain.  She sniffed, hiding it behind her hand, and he ducked his head.  He knew she didn't like it when he saw her cry.  His dragon was always so strong.  He hit his head against one of the tree branches that curved out from the main trunk, which was in the center of the house.

It was hard to tell what came first, the tree or the treehouse.  It had been there forever; he joked that hte Children of the Forst must have built it.  It belonged to no one, stuck behind his house and hers, in a space of the Wolfswood that did not fall on his family's property or hers.  He drew his knee up to his chest and hooked his arm around it, holding onto his ankle.  "Dany, please," he said softly.  "It's not the end of the world."

"You're leaving!"

"I was always going to leave!"

"You didn't <i>tell</i> me!"

He would give her that one.  He closed his eyes, sighing hard.  Couldn't take it back.  "You knew I was going to join," he muttered.  There wasn't much for him.  He wasn't interested in going to college.  He had great grades, was one of the top of his class, but it wasn't for him and he knew it.  "I didn't want you there when I did."

She scowled, reaching over and picked up a stray beer can from the other night when they'd spent the entire time that his cousin had a party hiding away in their own private one.  She chucked it at him, with no heat behind the action.  "I hate you."

"I love you."

"I hate you."

He crawled towards her, repeating the words.  Over and over.  "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"No," she cried, when he pulled her small frame into his arms, and she cried into his chest as he rocked her.  She hiccuped, clutching his shirt.  "It's all changing Jon."

"I know."  He was leaving the only place he knew as his home, joining the military, disappearing into wherever or whatever they wanted him to do, although he had ideas.  Ideas he wouldn't tell her about because she could convince him otherwise.  He kissed her brow.  This was the only place she had thought of as her home, after an entire life of moving from place to place.  He exhaled, eyes fluttering shut.  "Dany...if you were with me...I would not have done it and...and I have to do this."

"I know."  She tilted her face up, the sunlight dying away at the end of the early summer day, her face a pale oval, tears streaking.  She blinked her violet eyes, looking indigo in the dim light.  Her silver hair was tangled, dirty from spending most of the day in the treehouse.  She brushed her lips along his pulse, racing.  "Hold me Jon, just...just hold me until the end."

If he had his way there wouldn't be an end.  He nodded and squeezed her close, until their hands grew bored, their emotions needing release, and they peeled at each other's clothing until they were making love under the stars, still not close to being 'experts' at the act even after the last few months of numerous hours of practice.

When he woke up in the morning, she was gone, and he stared at the carved heart in the tree trunk, smiling at it.  he wouldn't see her again; he had a feeling she was already on her way to Essos.

One day, he hoped, and he gathered up his clothes and climbed out of the treehouse, tossing the rope ladder up so no one could get to their safe haven.

--

Dany had not been back since she left for college. It broke her heart, being back here, but she had to return, because it was Ned Stark's funeral.  It was important for her to be there; he was always so kind to her, the weird silver-haired "Ghost Girl" they called her.  He knew her family's issues, why her mother had relocated them up North, as far away from anyone in the South who might know about her father's embezzlement and crimes. She hated running, she just wanted a place to call home.

And it wasn't even really home until she had discovered that ancient treehouse in the woods behind her house.  Except she wasn't the only one.

It became their place.  The weird bastard child with no mother and father, left to the charity of his aunt and uncle, and the see-through Ghost Girl.  They were the best of friends.  They did everything there.  It was where she had gone to cry over her brother Rhaegar's death, her brother Viserys running away and leaving them, all the kids making fun of her, and the highs and lows of friendship and heartbreak.  They watched meteor showers and stared at the stars, they both had their first drunk moments there-- and hangovers-- the first time they sampled Shade of the Evening-- she hated it, he threw up-- where she hid her cat Drogon from her mother for a week before he got out and ended up in her bedroom.

It was where they had their first kiss-- she wanted to know what it was like and he had already told his cousin he'd kissed someone-- laughing and giggling through it.  Then it was where they relaized they were in love with each other, shouting and angry because he'd gone on a few days with Ygritte Wilde who was telling everyone she'd taken his virginity and where she had been stood up on a 'date' that turned out to be his stupid fucking cousin Sansa setting her up for humilation.

They'd admitted their love, they had fumbled through their first time there-- and second, third, and fourth too.  It was where everything important happened.

It was where he broke her heart.  Where she broke his.

She stared up at it, reaching up with a branch to knock at the rope ladder, grunting from effort since it was caked to the wood from years of weather and countless leaves falling.  A clump of leaves and sticks fell, almost showering her with the detritus, and she smiled, lightly touching the frayed rope.  "Well if I die climbing this thing, that's appropriate," she muttered, hooking her foot into the bottom and making her way up.

It was like time stood still in the treehouse.

It was dusty, piles of leaves and dirt in the corners.  There was a blanket that had been eaten through by some animal, nothing but thread now.  She used to be able to stand straight up in it, but now she crouched, glancing around, smiling at it all.  There were a couple of band posters they'd tacked up, the paper caked onto the walls now.  If she touched it it would probably turn to dust.

And the trunk in the middle, with the carved heart, weather worn and the wood darkened.  She traced her finger along it.  DANY + JON.

She hadn't seen him yet; the funeral wasn't until tomorrow.

They had a lot to catch up on, she supposed, rocking onto her heels.  It was for self preservation she'd left him that morning.  That they'd ceased all communication.  It would kill her to keep it up.  They needed to leave.  To create their own lives and futures.

She exhaled, a puff of cold air coming out and she frowned, glancing down and realizing that the ashtray that she had made in art class was still there.  Except there was a single cigarette butt in it.  Delicately, she lifted it, and her eyes widened; it was still warm.  "Bloody hells," she cursed.

"Hi Dany."

Whipping her head, she fell backwards onto her butt, feet sliding under her.  She gaped at the opposite doorway; the back entrance up to the house, the way that they had to take if one of them had pulled up the rope ladder.  "Jon," she gasped.

He looked good.  Dark curls over his forehead and ears, his beard trim and lines threading from his eyes.  Gray, singular eyes, that made her think of the winter storms and the angry seas.  He smiled shyly, an arm draped over his knee.  "I heard you and...and I don't know why I hid," he admitted, shy.

She swallowed hard.  She wanted to yell at him for some reason.  He'd been in the papers six months ago; a dangerous mission at the Wall.  He could have died.  "Jon," she repeated.

He scooted a little closer to her.  "You look good."

Her hair was shorter than it had been.  She didn't know what to say.  What did you say after all this time to hte only man you had ever loved?  The only boy?  She took a deep breath, exhaled hard, and then did the only thing she suspected one could do.

She kissed him.

Lunged towards him, arms flying about his neck, and planted her mouth so hard on his, she knocked him backwards, and he grunted, the breath pushed out of him from her tiny body sitting on his.  He grabbed her hips and kissed her back, as urgent and desperate as her.  They were in heavy parkas and scarves, but none of that mattered, because she could hear his heart racing in time with hers, and feel the same hot bloody pulsing through him as her.

He broke the kiss a second later, hand rising to cup her cheek; it was cold, but she didn't mind, because the shock reminded her this was real.  "Dany," he sighed.

"I love you," she mumbled.  Tears trickled down her cheeks.  "I love you still Jon.  I don't care if you've changed, or...or if you're with someone or something...because I will always love you."

He smiled slowly and nuzzled his nose against hers, their hot breaths mingling.  "I love you too."  He paused, his brow wrinkling.  "And...and there's no one..  There's never been anyone but you."

They had so much to talk about, so much to catch up on, but for now, she needed to just remind herself that he was there, with her, in their safe space, away from anyone else.  She kissed him again, and again, and buried her face into his neck, smiling, finally at home.