#finding the cradle and realizing is the turning point for her and Pietro and they CHOOSE to value human life over revenge | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

roger-that-cap · 4 years ago

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meet me in the gardens

knight!natasha romanoff x noble!fem!reader

summary: being the widow of a decently wealthy lord and sitting on a large plot of land automatically meant that you were a candidate for the program that you couldn’t say not to; the hosting. you had to sponsor a knight and keep them in your home for an entire year, which was troublesome enough on its own. but you never expected your knight to be a woman, and you certainly didn’t expect to have a full on illegal love affair with her, either.

warnings: ppl are upset, shit gets ruined, swearing? the “l” word

word count: 3.5k

what is this, like the sixth part? this was definitely supposed to be a miniseries lmao- all the other parts are on my pinned post!

The nights passed the same, but the days were entirely different. Days kept flying by, and with every single cycle of the sun, you were forced more and more by tradition to prepare your home for your future husband. It had been days since you and Natasha confessed your feelings for each other and kissed under the starlight, and still, the feeling of her arms around you and her face in your hands still ran around in your mind, pushing thoughts of your duties out of your mind without any effort. And it was for that reason, against your judgement, that you still met with Natasha Romanoff every night.

It felt like ever since the honesty started flowing, you began to feel lighter. With every glance at Natasha that became less and less stolen, your soul felt like it could deviate more and more by the second. Your mind knew what was going on, the high before the impending fall, and you knew for a fact that when you hit the ground, you were going to shatter. But you couldn't find your mind wanting to acknowledge how fragile you were becoming for love. And how could you? How could you mind the chilling fall and the results of it when Natasha cradled you so gently, just like stained glass?

Wanda was the sane one. She was the one who kept trying to bring you back down from the tops of your clouds, attempting to be the gentle reminder before reality itself slammed right into you and took your breath away in the worst of ways. She was the gentle hand of a mother that tried to shake her child out of a nightmare disguised as a dream, and you were the insolent child who ignored her.

Pietro, on the other hand, encouraged it. He was all for splurging, and that went for everything. He was a borderline glutton and when he had money, it was gone within weeks, and he was an advocate for the way that you were divulging in your own little heaven. He would smile when he saw you off in your own head, reminiscing on a memory so sweet you could have sworn it was some sort of dream. He would tell Wanda in hushed whispers to leave you alone, and that you deserved to be happy, even if it was only for a little bit.

“But she doesn’t deserve to have it ripped away from her,” Wanda said to him on a day where the sun managed to pierce through the coverage of the clouds, and he just shook his head at her, looking at her with slight pity. “It’s my duty as her friend to remind her.”

“She’s a smart girl, don’t you think she knows?” Pietro retorted, eyeing you as you picked a magnolia from your garden, standing by yourself but still smiling. “Besides, do you really think that her lady love is going to let anything happen to her?”

Wanda gasped and looked around them, on alert for anyone who could have possibly heard what her brother had said. Her eyes were wild as she watched for anyone who may have heard the scandalous words, and when she saw that everyone was minding their business, she swirled her head back to glare at Pietro. “What?”

Pietro grinned, and then his grin turned into a sneaky smirk. “What, you didn't know?” When Wanda hesitated to answer, he chuckled. ‘There’s no way you didn’t know.”

“Pietro, you can’t just say things like that,” she scolded, heart still racing at the thought of someone knowing.

“You and I are the only ones who know her well enough to know that she’s in love, and there’s no way that you haven’t seen the way that the knight is around her.”

Wanda had. She had a great read on people, always seeming to know everyone’s thoughts before they even knew it themselves. She knew the second that Natasha Romanoff started to change, and she would never forget the time where she realized that it was because of her very own dear friend.

It happened on a particularly cool day, and Wanda had dressed you in a short and flowy dress before realizing that there was a breeze outside. You had walked down to the training areas, even though you said that you were just aimlessly walking, and you kept glancing over your shoulder to watch the red head spar with a man twice her size and hold more than her own. You had looked away the second that Wanda looked at you for a moment too long, with her eyes that were always seeking answers. The first pang of realization hit Wanda that day when she saw you stand up straight and tall when Natasha started to saunter towards the both of you. The second time that she saw it was when Natasha got an eyeful of you, too, and then her flawless steps faltered for the quickest of moments. Natasha never faltered.

“It doesn’t matter what we know,” Wanda muttered lowly, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear in an attempt to look like they were having a normal conversation. “We can’t just go around saying that our lady-”

“Likes women?” He asked, and Wanda immediately started throwing curses his way. “No one ever sees past their own problems here. I can assure you, no one cares if Lady Mirellis likes lying with women.”

“No, but Brock Rumlow will care,” Wanda pointed out. “And he has the ability to make her life miserable. So please, watch your mouth. Or at least care for how loud you run it.”

“They were meant to meet,” Pietro said, his words nearly running into Wanda’s. “They were meant to meet, that much is obvious. I knew it from the second that I saw them look at each other when the redhead stepped out of the carriage.” Wanda looked at him with shock in her eyes as she watched his face flood with smugness, the sort of effortless smile that made people smile back. “What, you didn’t see that coming?” He shook his head and ruffled his sister’s hair, ignoring the angered sounds she made.

“And you say that you’re the observant twin?”

§§

The stream became your hiding place. It was the place that you and Natasha went when it all became too much for you or when she wanted to celebrate getting another step closer to finding herself. You went on good days and bad ones, but at the end of it, you felt at peace. You both ended up forgetting why you went in the first place.

Your toes were in the water, brushing up against a rock every few seconds as the red head practiced wielding her sword absentmindedly behind you, still looking graceful and as smooth as water while she did it. “What’s going to happen when you finish?”

“When I finish what?”

“When you finish your knightly duties, you know, the reason why you came in the first place?” You asked, turning your head to look at her. She had her arm straight out, sword elongating it and was mid-lunge, but her eyes were on you and her forehead had gathered wrinkles. “What’s going to happen?”

She dropped her arm abruptly and frowned. You heard her inhale over the sound of rushing water. “Well, I suppose I have to ride back to the capital.” You knew that. “I’ll be officially knighted there.”

“Are you excited?”

“It’s still a few months away,” Natasha said, and you knew that the statement was more for you than it was for her. “But when the time comes, I’ll be excited.”

You knew she would be. She rose up from nothing to possibly being a woman knighted by the king, something that had never happened before. She was proud of herself, and you were proud of her. She was the perfect knight, honorable and strong, and everything that a person with that title should be. You sat there with your lips shut, hand in hers like it was meant to be that way, and your mind moving at a speed legs couldn’t even hope for.

“Whatever you’re worrying about, darling,” Natasha said, the hand that wasn’t intertwined with you reaching up and brushing against your jaw, fingers caressing your face as she turned your head gently to face her. “Don’t.”

“If only it were that easy.”

“It could be,” she retorted, and her pointer finger brushed over your top lip. “Just stop thinking about it.”

You pursed your lips at her, shaking your head. “You truly do have a man’s brain.”

“Are you going to be able to do it?” She asked out of nowhere, and you stopped tracing her eyebrows with your finger to give her a confused look. “I guess the real question is- are you really going to do it?”

You sighed, your heart already slowly breaking. “Yes.” You said, lacking hesitancy that you felt deeply in your heart. “It won’t matter that I’ll be married to him. I swear it.”

“I believe you.”

“Nothing has to change. We’ll sneak around like we always do, we’ll be fine.”

“Hey,” Natasha said, grabbing your hands as they started to shake. Your eyes were gathering tears with every word that passed through your lips, and she made you focus on her. “I believe you.”

The rest of the night was spent as all the other nights were spent. Silence other than the sounds of nature and each other’s soft breathing. The customary breeze that came and went brushing against your bare legs and Natasha’s clothed ones. Soft touches that ranged from hands to foreheads to each other’s backs. It was so intimate, and you were so alone with her that it truly felt like you two were the only people on the planet. You never felt safer. Seeing Natasha wield a sword or wear her armor had nothing on the security that you felt when she just had you close, where there was nothing but a sliver of air between your two bodies. It was in moments like those, when she held you in her arms and kissed your temple, where you truly felt invincible.

§§

With every passing day, you fell more and more in love with Natasha Romanoff. That much was a given, and you knew that the first night at the stream was going to change your life for forever, but you never expected it to be that hard. And by it, you meant, getting married to someone you would hate just so that you could keep the woman that you loved safe.

And it felt so good to finally use that word, even if it was only in the comforts of your own mind. You loved her. You loved her like you had never loved anyone else, and you had to tell her one day. Your heart sunk to your toes when you realized that the confession would have to be in an empty forest or in your gardens or somewhere else just a s secretive, and that no one would ever find out truly how devoted you were to her. You were never going to be able to tell the world that you loved her, and that was for more reasons than one.

You were going to marry Brock Rumlow the day after he arrived. And that day was hardly even approaching anymore, it was on your doorstep. It was so close, in fact, that you were standing in your wedding gown and crying as you tried it on one last time before the fateful day.

One second, Wanda was doing your corset and fixing the collar on the traditional wedding dress and the next- she was watching you lose your mind. “I really- I can’t do it.” You had a hand over your mouth as you looked up towards the ceiling. You collapsed to the floor despite your chest struggling to expand and catch a breath while the corset constricted. Your hands covered your face as you allowed yourself to have a good cry for the first time in what felt like years.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Wanda breathed out, and you could feel the heartbreak in her just like it was in you. “I know. I know, just cry it all out.”

Your head was spinning. You had no idea what terrible choices you had made for life to bring you to the spot that you were soon to arrive at and be stuck in forever. You had no idea what you had done to the world to make the universe want to make your life miserable. “I can’t do it.”

“If you’re afraid that he’ll hurt you…” Wanda started off, a slight tremble in her voice as she tried to gather her own bearings and be strong for you, “Pietro and I won’t let it happen. Pietro is strong, and I’m fierce when it comes to the two of you, you know that. Nothing will ever happen to you while we’re here.”

“I can’t marry him,” you sobbed, and it felt like you were being crushed into a hug by the corset. “I can’t.”

“I will be with you every step of the way, just like I was before, darling.”

“No!” You wailed, and you felt Wanda startle a bit. You were going in circles in your own mind, s fast that you couldn’t even stop your lips from moving if you had tried. “I can’t- I cannot marry him because my heart is fully in the possession of another.” You admitted lowly, so quietly that Wanda hardly even heard it. “I can’t.”

Wanda waited a few moments before speaking again. “It’s Natasha isn’t it?”

You stiffened up immediately, almost forgetting that quickly that you had shared the only secret that you ever kept from Wanda. Natasha. “What?”

“Pietro and I have known you for what feels like centuries,” Wanda said rubbing a smooth hand up and down your back. “Did you really think that we hadn’t caught on?”

You looked up at her, panic manifesting in your eyes. “Who else knows?” If you were in a rational state of mind, you would have known that Wanda and Pietro would never run their mouths, especially not about something that meant life or death. And you being with someone- a woman at that- before your betrothed came? That meant certain death for the both of you. ‘W-Wanda-”

“No one knows,” she said soothingly, a promise deep rooted in her tone. “Just the two of us. You hid it surprisingly well, but you can’t hide from your family.”

And they were family. The only ones you considered to be family, actually. “So now you know why.” Wanda nodded, and then the two of you sat on your wooden floor in silence, but it felt awfully loud with the thoughts running through you.

It felt like ages had passed by the time Wanda’s voice flooded your senses again, the despair in it hardly hidden. “What are you going to do?”

“Try to keep us both alive.”

§§

Your eyes were shut as you laid on your back and tried to will the tears away. Natasha was next to you, and you were supposed to be stargazing during your last night of freedom. You had been keeping it together, but the second Natasha heard a sniffle, she shook her head and leaned up on her arm.

“You are not going to mope on our last- you know what? You’re just not going to mope tonight. Stand up.” Before you could even tell her that you didn’t want to she was yanking you up with one hand. You stumbled forward and into her arms, unable to stop yourself from giggling a bit before she steadied you.

The moonlight was your friend as it lit her face, and like you always did, you momentarily lost your breath while the two of you locked eyes, yours clashing with her blue ones and creating a tension that you were so familiar with, the kind that everyone craved. “If there was no rush, nothing threatening to tear us apart, would you agree to marry me right now?”

You blinked. “What?”

“In another life,” Natasha said, and you nodded with hesitant encouragement. “If this was another life and I was someone in a position to get down on one knee and marry you, would you tell me yes?” You stood there tongue tied, holding both of her hands as she stared at you head on. “If I were a man, a wealthy man who loved you for you, just like I do now, would you tell me yes? Would you agree to marry me if there were no obstacles?”

Once you understood the depth of her question, the answer that had been stirring within finally came to light, and then it was leaving your lips in a surprised exhalation. “Yes.”

“Good,” Natasha said, the apprehension melting off of her face. She took a step back, but still held your hands tightly. “I’ll make it a point to find you in the next life, then.”

The next life. An unknown. Something that had so many variables, so many different meanings and outcomes. She was so optimistic, for someone who had seen so much hurt and suffering. But you were a realist, you had to be after everything that happened to you. And you knew deep down, no matter how much you willed for there to be one, that there was no second chance at a next life for you. And there wasn’t one for her, either. You didn’t have the next life. You didn’t even have the one you lived in. But you had a single night.

“I would marry you tonight,” you said softly, and when you heard her breathing hitch, you turned your head to look at her, watching the slightest of flushes appear on her cheeks, like she was surprised that you would have even said the words that you did. “Even with everything going on right now, I would marry you. I would marry you with or without the people who hate us for loving who we do, and with or without Brock Rumlow coming in the morning. If I could, I would marry you. If you’d have me, of course.”

“Of course I would,” she said, relief lacing in her voice as she touched your face, and one of your tears hit her pointer finger. “And it’s too late now, I’m afraid, but, I love you,” she said, and just like that, all of your worry and frustration and fear had melted away, like you were in some stupid fairy tale that queens tell their daughters at night. “Is that enough?”

No. It wasn’t. Not when it came to her. You wanted to give your all to her and you wanted it back from her. But as quick as you realized that you wanted it all, you realized that you would never get it. So, the little confessions and hugs and caresses in the dark were going to have to be enough. You would make them enough. “It’s enough,” you said, because wanting was enough. Being with her in the night and desiring for her during the day was enough. “It’s enough.”

§§

You expected a more calm entrance from Lord Rumlow, but then again, you didn’t know him. But the second all of his horses and men came barreling down the road, you felt like you knew him quite enough.

You knew all men like him at first glance.

Wanda was on your left, and Pietro on your right as you stood in a pretty, floral dress that Wanda picked out for you. It was silent when she dressed you, but all the words were there. She did your hair the way that you usually did it, said you looked beautiful, and then the next thing you knew, you were standing and watching carriages arrive.

Natasha wasn’t there.

You honestly didn’t know if it was worse or better for you.

When the fanfare was finally over and the door to the grandest chariot of them all opened, you held your breath. And then, before you could even stop yourself, you thought, I’m about to see what a true monster looks like.

He was a big man. Muscular, sturdy looking, and intimidating. You immediately understood why he came off as so hostile in the letters, and it was because he was so scary looking that he could get away with nearly anything. You tilted your head upwards in defiance, meeting his eyes even though he cocked a brow at you, easily recognizing you as his betrothed, and as a woman who was directly challenging him.

He took a few steps closer, but like he knew of your extreme aversion to him and the way that you had two people beside you that would defend you fiercely, he stopped at a far enough distance. His expensive shoes dug up your grass, and you would have flinched if it weren’t for his steely, self assured voice coming your way. “You must be my wife.”

You couldn’t even scoff. “Not yet.”

“But tomorrow is coming,” he said, looking around the estate, clearly pleased with the way it looked. He nodded his head once, twice, and then three times, before his gaze settled on you again, and he looked you up and down. “Couldn’t ask for anything more.

***

it literally astonishes me that this was supposed to be four chapters long, at most. but then again, it was supposed to be a fucking one shot just like all the flowers will bloom- so why am i surprised? i can’t write none shots for shit guys...

please like and reblog if you liked this lil installment! i hope you guys have a great rest of your day/night :))))

taglist!

@teenwonder @msmarvelsmain @saamwilscn @procrastinatingsapphictrash @fayhar @8plasma @slut-for-nat @dontmindmejustreading @swords-are-cool @200605chaeng @thescottishavenger @antidaytime @jenny-song @madamevirgo @natasha-danvers @blackxwidowsxwife @shycucumbersandwich @dailyavengering

@xxxtwilightaxelxxx @ima-gi--na-tion @chickenhavewisdom

i’m pretty sure i didn’t forget anyone, and if i did, i’m sorry!

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha x female reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x female reader #knight!natasha #royalty au #natasha romanov fluff #marvel au #lgbt marvel #gay marvel fic #my fics #natasha x fem!reader

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bumblesimagines · 4 years ago

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Green Thumb

Part 4

Request: Yes or No

TW: Drug mention, needle mention, overdose mention

I'm still unsure on the twins ages in age of ultron since one source says 16 and the other says 26 lmao. Imma just say the twins are 17 or 18.

You stared down at the city below with a frown. You knew Clint wouldn't rest until Natasha was found. Everything had happened so quickly and even if you had tried to catch her with a root, you would've been pulled along. A sigh left you as you sat down at your desk. Your room in the tower felt like a cell. Gray walls, white bed, white desk. The only real color in the room came from the line of potted flowers on the desk. You felt your stomach grumble, standing up and leaving the room. You headed to the kitchen, getting a granola bar. You opened it, taking a bite from it. You almost choked, hearing crashing and arguing. You swallowed the bits of granola as you followed the noises to the laboratory. You headed up the stairs, dodging a flying Steve.

"What the fuck?" You turned your head, seeing the Maximoff twins. "What the fuck?" You repeated, watching them in bewilderment. Another one left you when Thor crashed through a window, raising his hammer and letting the electricity power the cradle. Nothing happened for a moment before the cradle burst open, causing Thor to fly back.

"I should've stayed with Laura." You whispered, staring at the red man that emerged from the cradle. He slowly stood, looking between everyone. His gaze settled on Thor, lunging for him but Thor grabbed him and threw him to the side, causing another crash.

"(Y/N), stay close." Clint called, eyeing the twins. You quickly walked over to him, hearing the crunching of glass beneth your shoes. While Thor and Steve took the dramatic way, you chose to use the door and head to the room Vision was in. Thor raised his hand, stopping Steve from attacked. The man stared out into the city, staying silent and motionless. Thor set down his hammer as the man landed on the door, apologizing to Thor and mimicking his cape.

"Thor, you helped create this?"

"I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all forms of life and at its center is that." Thor explained, pointing at the crystal in the mans forehead.

"What, the gem?" Bruce asked, watching Thor look at him.

"The mind stone." He corrected. "It's one of the six infinity stones. The greatest power in the universe with destructive abilities." Thor explained as he faced everyone.

"It looks like a citrine." You muttered, continuing to unwrap the rest of your granola bar, swiping away the crumbs that fell on the floor with your foot.

"A what?" Clint asked softly. You glanced at him.

"It's a type of gemstone. It's supposed to motivate you to take action." You shrugged lightly. Gemstones were pretty interesting to study, even more so when they had so called 'destructive abilities.'

"Stark's right."

"Oh, it's definitely the end." Bruce said quietly.

"Why does your vision sound like J.A.R.V.I.S?" Steve asked as he watched the man walk forward. Tony explained why, still in awe and surprise. The man looked at Steve.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" Though it sounded like a question, it was obvious it was a statement.

"You're not?"

"I'm not Ultron." The man replied softly, almost confused. "And.. I'm not J.A.R.V.I.S either."

"I looked in your head and saw annihilation." Wanda said, stepping forward as she glared at him. Clint scoffed softly, walking towards everyone. You followed, tossing the wrapper into the trashcan.

"Look again."

"Your approval seems jack to me." Clint said, gaze staying locked on the twins. Wanda's gaze went to Clint before going to you. You maintained brief eye contact. It wasn't everyday you met another meta.

"Her powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultrons powers.. They all came from the mind stone. Nothing compares to what it can unleash." Thor revealed. "And with it on our side-"

"Is it?" Steve interrupted, looking at the man again.

"Are you? On our side?"

"I don't think it's that simple." He replied softly.

"Sounds pretty simple. Death or life for humanity." You said, shrugging. He looked at you, giving a small nod before looking at the others.

"Then.. I'm on the side of life. Ultron isn't." He took small steps forward, not wanting to agitate anyone.

"What's he waiting for?"

"You." The man stared at Tony. You were already coming up with names for him. Tony Jr was the one sticking.

"Sokavia's our best bet." Tony said.

"Nat's there too." Clint told them, looking at Bruce when he approached the man.

"If we're wrong about you..." Bruce started softly. His threats were always amusing until he turned green. He stared at Tony Jr, letting it up to his imagination, if he had that.

"I don't want to kill Ultron." Tony Jr walked around Bruce, continuing past everyone.

"He's weak.. And in pain but that pain will roll over the Earth, so he must be destroyed. Every forms he's built, every sense of his presence on the net. We have to act now and not one of us can do it without the other." Tony Jr turned, facing them. He looked down at his hands.

"Maybe I am a monster. I don't know if I will become one.. I'm not what you are. I'm not what you intended. So there may be no way for you to trust me but we need to go." Tony Jr finished his speech, picking up Thors hammer and handing it to him. The room stayed silent as everyone took it in. Thor took his hammer, clearing his throat and nodding.

"Alright." He gave a small smile, walking away. You sighed, turning around and walking towards the bar.

"Don't even think about it." Clint called as he walked past you. You huffed, watching him go.

"Seriously?" You rolled your eyes, looking over your shoulder at the twins. They walked away in amusement, following Steve's directions to the lockers. You walked to your room, putting on the outfit Clint had designed for you. You looked at a picture of you and Clint, smiling softly. You left the room, walking down the hall. You noticed Thor and Tony Jr talking outside, arms crossing as you approached the glass. You stared at the two, gaze locking onto the reflection of the twins. You turned to face them, seeing Wanda pause and stay in her spot.

"Sorry about choking you." You spoke first, looking between them. Wanda gave a small nod, hand gently gripping her arm.

"Did you get experimented on like us?" Pietro asked, head tilting. Some white strands fell over his face. You shook your head, biting your bottom lip as you thought on how to explain it.

"From what Bruce told me, my mother had drugs in her system during labor. It was an unknown drug that they still haven't identified but Bruce says that it might've given me some freak cell mutation that gave me these powerd. It's weird. Clint said it took a long time to even find any information on my family. I don't know if it's true or something that they told me to make me feel better about being orphaned." The twins gaze softened, glancing at each other. Wanda licked her lips, glancing at the ground.

"When were you orphaned?" She asked softly.

"When I was a baby. My mom died in labor and my dad had been found dead with a needle in his arm a day later. I was put into an orphanage cause my parents were seen as a Jane Doe and John Doe. Again, it's weird." You told them, shrugging lightly. Pietro took in a soft breath, gaze becoming distant.

"We're orphans too. I'm sure you already know what happened by now but.. A bomb killed them." Pietro said softly. He took in a deeper breath, giving a small smile to lighten the mood.

"I suppose that's another thing we have in common." He pointed out with a small shrug. You nodded, smiling softly. It was nice to be around people your age who understood you. Even Wanda seemed relaxed and more comfortable.

"(Y/N), what'd I say?" You looked up upon hearing Clint's voice.

"You were the one who left me alone to change." You reminded him with a soft huff, going around the twins and approaching him. Clint shot you a pointed look, glancing at the twins. You understood why he was distrustful of them.

"Clint, they're like me." You said quietly as you walked with him to the aircraft.

"You're not like them."

"Yes, I am. They're metas and around my age. Weren't you the one who said I had to work on my people skills?" You cocked a brow as you stared at him. Clint stayed silent, giving you the answer.

"They were fighting for their country after it was attacked. They have all the right to be distrustful-"

"After one conversation, you can tell apart the difference between good guys and bad guys?"

"I don't know, Clint, you tell me. You were the one who chose to take in a kid who almost choked your best friend to death and attempted to impale Americas biggest playboy with a fucking branch." You hissed lowly, frowning and looking forward.

"You were, and still are, a kid." Clint said, voice becoming hard and stricter.

"Oh, well, fuck me, I didn't realize the twins were in their eighties."

"Quit giving me attitude, (Y/N). I want to protect you. You don't know if they're gonna stab us in the back when we least expect it. If we destroy Ultron and they stay on our side, you can play dolls with them." Clint said, approaching the aircraft.

"Whatever." You entered the aircraft, taking a seat. The others entered not long after. The twins sat down beside you as Clint headed to the front.

"We didn't get you in trouble, did we?" Wanda asked quietly, glancing over at Clint. You shook your head, toying with the roots in order to relax.

"No, just.. Strict dad drama." You muttered. Wanda tilted her head, making eye contact with Pietro before it clicked.

"Oh.. He adopted you? That's nice." Wanda gave a small smile. "Maybe the Avengers aren't so heartless."

"We aren't." You assured, looking between her and Pietro. "It'll take a while but.. We can all grow to trust each other."

"I hope so." Pietro breathed out, hands going to the belt as the aircraft lifted up. You chuckled at the nervous look on his face.

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avengerscompound · 4 years ago

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The Tower: Family - 31

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing: Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2069

Warnings: Pregnancy, labor, surgery, breastfeeding

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family. When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 31: The Whole Family

I was in full active labor seven hours after I lay down to nap with Steve. My water broke at around nine that night, but it was just a small trickle and it took a little while for me to realize it had happened.

It was quite a strange feeling to be in labor while everything was just going on as normal around you. We were experts at it this time, so babies were being breastfed and given tummy time. Dinner was served and eaten together. Riley and Pietro were given their stories and a bath before being put into bed and all the while I was getting these strong, debilitating pains that lasted barely anytime every 20 minutes or so. There was a rotating roster of people who stuck by my side depending on what needed to be done in the house and when all the kids were down for the night Tony suggested that maybe we should just go down to the Medbay and see how things were going. Turns out the answer to that question was; ‘not well’.

“Elise, honey,” Doctor Schroeder said, as I lay back on the bed with a bunch of probes attached to me, and one inserted inside me and attached to the crown of the baby’s head. “The baby is in distress, we really need to do the c-section.”

“What?” I said, the alarms beeping around me as my blood pressure shot up. “No, no, no, no, no.” Beside me, all the color had drained from Tony’s face and he started fidgeting where he stood.

“It’s going to be fine,” the doctor said. “But he needs to come out. We need to put you under as soon as possible.”

“But… I…” I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know why he would be in distress now. I had made plans. I’d gone into labor, I was supposed to deliver like Wanda and Natasha had.

“El, princess,” Sam said, stepping close to me and crouching down by the bed. I looked at him, still panicking. “Honey, I’ll stay with you the whole time. Okay? I won’t leave your side for one second. We’ll get Edwin out and when you wake up, we’ll all have a happy and healthy baby boy.”

I felt tears prick my eyes but I nodded, feeling a little bit more sure about things. Everyone backed off a little and I was moved onto a surgical bed and set up with an IV and wheeled into surgery. Everything felt like a blur as I was given an anesthetic and oxygen and talked off to sleep. I remember the last thing I could focus on was the light above me and Sam’s voice telling me he was right here with me and everything would be okay.

The next thing I was really aware of was my throat hurting and how cold I felt. “Hey, El,” Sam said, gently. “You waking up?”

I managed to force my eyes open but they fell closed again right away, I shook my head slowly.

“It’s okay, princess,” Sam said, running his thumb over the back of my hand. “You can keep sleeping if you want to. Everyone is fine. Edwin was crying up a storm as soon as he took a breath. He’s with the others now. His feet and hands were a little blue and his pulse was a little high, but everything settled once he got used to being out in the big bad world. They don’t think he’s going to need to be in intensive care or anything. Just your blood pressure stressing him out.”

I relaxed as Sam spoke and seemed to doze off for five minutes or so before waking again. A nurse came over to check me over. “Do you have any pain, Doctor Cooper?”

I nodded and pointed to my stomach where they had cut.

“Do you want some pain medication?” She asked.

I nodded again and started crying - though I wasn’t actually sure what was setting it off.

“Hey, El,” Sam soothed. “It’s okay, honey. I’m still here.”

“And you’re going to see your baby very soon,” the nurse added as she adjusted something on my IV. The pain started to back off again, but I couldn’t seem to stop crying.

“What’s upsetting you, princess?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know,” I cried, my voice raspy.

“Aww, honey,” Sam soothed. “Having a bad reaction to the GA leaving your system. It’s alright. It’ll back off soon.”

I’m not sure how long it took to start feeling more awake but they brought me juice and crackers and checked me over before letting me go to my room where the others were waiting with Baby Edwin. Sam stayed by my side the whole time, talking me through every little medical thing that they did so I wouldn’t worry.

I was wheeled into the room and was greeted by all the others who were seated around on the various couches and sofa chairs set up. They all stood at once except for Tony who was holding the little bundle in his arms.

“Hey, sweetheart. They said it all went fine. How are you feeling?” Steve asked.

“I'm okay. Feel weird. I was pregnant and now I'm not anymore,” I said. “Usually a thing that happens between those points.”

“You had a baby,” Steve assured me. “He's right there. Tony’s won’t let anyone else hold him.”

“Hey! You all got a turn,” Tony argued. “But I helped make him, I’m proud of my good work.”

“Puh-lease, Tones,” Clint snarled. “You jizzed inside her. Who hasn't done that?”

“Hey, not in front of the baby!” Tony said, covering Edwin’s ears and looking at Clint with a scandalized expression on his face.

“Alright, alright,” Natasha said. “I think it’s time for Elise and Sam to get their chance holding him.”

Tony got up and carried the little bundle over. He was wrapped in a blue blanket with just his face showing and he was sleeping peacefully. He had a fine head of brown hair and a little button nose. “Look at what we made, El,” he said as he put him in my arms.

“I can’t tell who he looks like more,” I said, looking down at him.

“Well he has blue eyes,” Tony said. “But that could just be because they haven’t settled.”

“He’s perfect either way,” Wanda said.

I smiled down at him and ran my finger over his cheek. “Hey, Eddie,” I said softly. “Sorry I missed you being born and stressed you out so much.”

“He’s fine,” Wanda said. “I promise.”

“A hearty lad,” Thor added. “You have nothing to fear, my life.”

I smiled and kissed Edwin’s forehead. “Good,” I said. “That’s the main thing.”

“Not to hurry you along, El,” Sam said. “But I want a turn too.”

I giggled. “Okay, but only because you stayed with me the whole time.”

Sam grinned and took him from me, and I lay down, closing my eyes. “Maybe we should leave you to sleep, honey.”

I mumbled something, trying to ignore the pull of sleep, but finding it hard to resist. “Mishka,” Natasha scolded. “It’s the middle of the night and you just had major surgery.”

“We’ll be here when you get up, and so will Edwin,” Bruce said. “You should sleep while you can and heal so you can come back home as soon as possible.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll stay with her,” Tony said.

“What a shocker,” Clint teased and came over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “You did good, El.”

“Thanks, Clint,” I murmured.

The others all came over and kissed me goodnight before leaving. I dozed a little while Tony fussed around and eventually set himself up to sleep on the foldout next to me.

The following day I woke up to the sound of Edwin crying. Tony had him cradled in his arms, trying to soothe him as the nurses came and propped my bed up. I have no idea how long I’d slept for, but the sun was up and the room was filled with flowers and balloons.

“There’s your mama,” Tony said. “We were starting to think you were going to sleep all day long.”

“Sorry, Tony,” I said.

He shook his head. “You’re healing. It’s fine.”

“How’s your pain?” One of the nurses asked as she fussed around me.

“About a seven,” I said. “Maybe seven and a half.”

“We’ll get you something. Are you hungry?” The nurse asked.

I nodded. “Very.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll organize that too. And are you going to breastfeed?”

“I’m going to try,” I said.

“Okay, let’s see if we can do that first,” she said, gesturing Tony over with Edwin.

It took a little bit of doing but we eventually had him latched and suckling. I knew I wasn’t really producing anything much yet, the surgery would delay my milk production, but it was important to get him to suckle to bring it on. He suckled with a scowl on his face, staring up at me with his dark blue eyes as he gripped at my breast with one little hand.

The nurse left to go order my breakfast and my pain medication and Tony sat on the side of my bed and started playing with Edwin’s hand. “You ready to see the others?” He asked.

“Yeah. That’ll be good,” I agreed.

“Your mom is here. Those are from her,” he said, pointing to a large bunch of white roses and blue irises set in a blue box with foil balloons attached that read ‘It’s a boy’. “You okay seeing her too?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine too.”

“FRIDAY, let them know,” Tony said.

By the time the very large group that consisted of my husbands, wives, children and mother came through the door, Edwin had stopped feeding and fallen back to sleep and I was slowly eating my way through a plate of French Toast with fresh berries.

“There she is,” Steve said, kissing me hello. “You slept for so long.”

“I guess I was tired,” I agreed. “I’m up now.”

“You otay, mommy?” Pietro asked, coming over to the bed and putting his chin on the side.

“I have a big cut,” I said, caressing his hair. “But I’m okay. I missed you.”

“I misted you too,” he said.

Thor and Bruce lifted both Riley and Pietro up on the side of the bed. “Be careful of your mother, she has an injury,” Thor said.

“Don’t touch her tummy,” Bruce added.

Riley immediately ignored both of her father’s instructions and gently patted my stomach. “Tan I see?”

“It’s just a bandage right now,” I said. “But I can show you when they come and change it if you really want. It has stitches because they had to sew me back up.”

“Otay,” she said and promptly stole a strawberry off my plate and started eating it.

Pietro’s lip began to quiver. “Dey sewed you up?”

“It’s okay, honey,” I said, pulling him in close. “I’m okay and so is your new baby brother. Did you see him?”

“Yeah, he’s borwing,” Riley said, matter-of-factly making me laugh a little.

My mom stepped forward and kissed my cheek. “Congratulations, darling,” she said. “He’s so beautiful. They all are, but Edwin looks just like you when you were born.”

“Thanks, mom,” I replied.

Everyone settled around the room. Some cradling babies while others looked over their shoulders. Everyone was relaxed and happy and completely present as a family. It was a little melancholy to think how back when I was born, my mother had me, and I looked so much like him, and yet I didn’t have this. I would grow up not knowing that this deep love and devotion was a real thing. That I wouldn’t know it until one day when I knocked over an ex-Russian assassin on the way to work and somehow that act would lead her to become fascinated by me.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Every little thing that happened in my life led to this. Me here with the people I loved most. With the people who I had chosen to be a part of my life. I wouldn’t change a single thing if it meant I would lose this. I might not have known it growing up, but my kids would. This was my family.

~ END ~

122 notes · View notes

marvels-writings · 5 years ago

Text

Star-Crossed

Soulmate AU entry for @versdan ‘s writing challenge

Soulmate AU where both have a birthmark on their left wrist which matches their soulmate.

Word Count: 5,617

Soulmates aren’t always easy to find.

Some soulmates have a mark similar but they never fit. The reality is a soulmate is supposed to be perfect, but that’s not always true. You were born with the outline of a black widow mark, you always joked about your soulmate being a spider even though you hate spiders. The thought kept you awake at night sometimes.

This was one of those nights as you stared up at the ceiling of your hideout, glancing at your black widow mark often. Ultron had just hired you and the Maximoff twins, the past few weeks had been a haze. HYDRA had many experiments, you were just another one of their failures, but they managed to keep you alive somehow, so you ran away with the Maximoff twins.

Throughout your journey, you’d found you could heal faster than both of them, even absorb injuries to a certain extent. You’d learned you could heal some injuries if you felt all the pain of the injury, recently, you’d gained some more strength, which was helpful while fighting, even though you didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Sometimes you looked at their marks even though they tried to hide them the best they could, Wanda had an outline in the shape of a gem, Pietro had a symbol of a crystal. The vibranium had been stolen, you were waiting for Wanda and Pietro to return to you after checking on Ultron and what he was doing, you tossed a small keychain which you’d had since you were a kid up in the air before catching it.

“We’re leaving, now,” Wanda stated, appearing in your room standing next to Pietro, eyes wide with panic as she panted.

“Why?” You asked, getting up and tucking the keychain into your black jeans, donning an oversized sweatshirt over your white t-shirt.

“He’s not who we thought he was,” Pietro stated, you could see he was also scared.

You nodded, following them out of the hideout and onto the streets, you roamed around the streets for some time, talking and bantering like you did before you got taken by HYDRA. They had been like your siblings after their parents died, they met you. Your parents had suffered a similar fate, you became close and followed them everywhere, even to HYDRA.

While in the bazaar, you saw a train running by with Ultron and Captain America in it, you frowned and turned to the twins who turned to face you.

“Stay here, we’ll be back,” Wanda commanded, putting a hand on your shoulder.

You frowned and shoved her hand off your shoulder, heading in the direction of the train.

“I can help, I’m coming with you.” You stated Wanda’s eyes widened as she followed you, putting a hand on your shoulder to try to stop you.

“You can’t, you’ll get hurt,” Wanda argued, Pietro laughed which confused both of you.

“There’s no point arguing, let’s just go before the world ends.” He joked, you rolled your eyes and sprinted off in the direction of the train.

Pietro picked Wanda up and rushed after the train, you groaned at the action, realizing you weren’t fast enough to catch up to the train. You spotted a bike out of the corner and grinned before quickly hotwiring it and driving after them, the wind flapping in your face a welcome change from HYDRA.

Eventually, you caught up to the train, but you had no idea how to get inside, you waved at Wanda who somehow saw you and used her magic to levitate you inside. It felt strange to fly, you struggled against the magic to try to keep control before realizing you had no control over what Wanda was doing. She pulled you into the train, you turned around and saw Ultron fighting Steve.

“Holy shit.” You muttered, looking around the train to find some passengers terrified, Ultron had shot the driver of the train, you rushed past him, ignoring the voices of Wanda telling you to stop.

You put your hands on the driver’s shoulders, concentrating to absorb the injuries. You didn’t know why you wanted to help him, you didn’t need to, all you needed was for him to wake up to stop the train. Pain erupted across your back as the injuries started taking their toll on you. You saw the tissue start to heal but you couldn’t, the pain in your shoulder muscles made you stop, the driver was dead.

After shoving him aside, you tried to pull the brakes but Ultron quickly shot near you before flying out of the train. You winced at the blast, the driver’s blood soaking the floor of the train.

“I can’t do anything, the controls are completely fried.” You stated, walking back into the first car.

Steve turned around to look at you, examining you for a second before turning around to give orders. In all honesty, you were a little intimidated by him.

“There are people in front of the train, get them to safety,” He commanded Pietro who instantly rushed out, you turned around to see him run in front of the rogue train, getting everyone to safety the best he could.

“Can you stop this thing?” He asked Wanda, she nodded as red magic pulsed through her hands and to the train wheels.

You saw the toll it was taking on her and went back to the front of the train where the emergency brake was, you pulled it back quickly.

“Look out!” Steve shouted you turned around to see the train was about to run into a wall.

Steve jumped in front of you before you could react, he shielded both of you with his shield, you heard something pierce flesh and his breath hitch before he took his shield away, a piece of a metal barrel had ingrained itself into his arm.

“Let me.” You said, putting your hand over his arm, pulling the piece away with a quick motion before using your powers the best you could, Steve’s initial reaction was to jerk his arm away until he saw the blood stop seeping through the wound.

Pain filled the side of your arm, you winced against it and bit your lip to prevent a scream. Steve’s eyes widened as he saw the tissue slowly start to fix itself as the pain in his arm faded to nothing. He saw you bite your lip and your breathing hitch as your hands wandered over the wound until it healed.

Neither of you noticed the train had stopped until Wanda called you over to Pietro. You ignored Steve thanking you and went outside to find Pietro panting with a large bruise on his cheek.

“What the hell happened?” You demanded, hands wandering over the wound before he pushed your hand away.

“I’m fine, I just need a minute.” He panted, Steve stormed outside of the train as the three of you turned to face him.

“I’m very tempted not to give you one.” He stated, tucking his shield away and crossing his arms, staring him down with an intimidating blue gaze.

“Give him a break.” You argued, Wanda stepped in before you could get aggressive.

“The cradle, did you get it?” She asked Steve turned to face her.

“Stark is going to take care of it.” He reassured, your heart dropped to the floor when you heard that, Wanda took a step back.

“No he won’t,” She whispered, a million things running in her head.

None of you trusted Stark, you blamed him for taking your family away, you blamed him for all the lives he had taken with his weapons.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve said, but you could sense the uncertainty in his voice, you groaned and looked up at him.

“Ultron made that cradle, do you have any idea what Stark is planning to do with it?” You asked, Steve’s brows furrowed and he opened his mouth to answer but Wanda cut him off.

“Stark can’t tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it, where do you think he gets that?” Wanda asked.

Steve clenched his jaw and shifted on his feet, speaking into his comms but you ignored him, instead taking off your sweatshirt and handing it to Pietro who had started shivering for some reason. He smiled at you grateful and quickly put it on, you laughed at how tight it was on him, missing the look Steve gave to your mark.

“We should get back to the tower.” He said, trying not to stare at the mark.

You nodded and followed Steve and the twins back to the tower, nervously tracing your mark.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“I’m only going to say it once,” Steve commanded, entering the room where Bruce Banner and Tony Stark were trying to program the cradle...

You stepped out from behind Pietro, looking around at what was in front of you, the cradle was glowing blue with giant tubes sticking out of it. They were trying to bring something to life, the top of the cradle had a gem in the same shape as Wanda’s mark.

“How about nonce?” Tony asked, you looked at him, he looked as scared as you did, he tried not to show it as he headed down the stairs.

“Shut it down,” Steve said, Wanda stepped out from behind them, you saw Bruce flinch at her, you couldn’t blame him after what Ultron had told Wanda to do.

“Nope, not gonna happen,” Tony answered, roaming around the cradle and typing buttons.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Steve argued, you backed up slightly when you saw Bruce’s eyes turn cold before he spoke.

“And you do?” He asked all heads turned to him.

“She’s not in your head?” Bruce gestured to Wanda. You stepped in front of her but she stepped forwards.

“I know you’re angry,” Wanda tried to comfort Bruce but he quickly cut her off.

“Oh I’m way past that, I could choke the life out of you and never even change a shade,” Bruce stated, hands shaking with anger as he tried to shut down his emotions.

“Banner after everything that happened,” Steve began.

“Nothing compared to what’s coming,” Tony stated, you frowned and turned to face him, gaze turning cold quickly.

Pietro rolled his eyes and interrupted the rest of his sentence by running and unplugging the cradle from the power sources, leaving everyone stunned. He returned to stand next to the cradle, holding up a plug with a smirk.

“No, no, go on. You were saying?” He smirked, you stifled a laugh at his joke. He sent a wink at you before a bullet pierced the ground below him, he fell onto the floor below.

“Pietro!” You and Wanda shouted in unison, Stark spoke something about rewriting when Steve threw his shield around the room, effectively shutting down the computers when Tony used a glove from his Iron Man suit to blast him backward.

The rest of his suit started to come by, Wanda reacted by summoning magic to take him down when Bruce quickly put her into a headlock.

“Go ahead, piss me off,” Bruce muttered, holding her back.

You knew Wanda could protect herself, so you leaned over where Pietro fell to see him on the ground, he gave you a quick smile before sprinting off to find a way to you. Steve got up quickly and hit Tony on the blaster before he blasted both of them backward, breaking the windows on either side. Wanda broke out of the headlock by pushing Bruce backward using a blast of magic.

The next thing you knew, the god of thunder broke the window and rushed in, electricity surrounding his hammer. You backed away towards Wanda who had gotten rid of Bruce, you took her hand nervously, she squeezed yours and backed away as Thor struck the hammer onto the cradle, electricity flowing into it.

The screen quickly flashed power overload before the doors of the cradle broke, a man in red climbed out with a familiar gem in his head as the blast blew everyone back. Your eyes widened as you looked at it, bringing Wanda’s hand up to see the outline of the gem filling in, you turned to see her as shocked as you were. The man looked around, terrified before he rushed at Thor who quickly threw him backward, people.

You rushed out, letting go of Wanda’s hand in your urgency to see what was happening. Everyone else ran after you, the man was hovering outside the window before he turned around, grey material clothing him before he added a cape to the outfit.

“I’m sorry, that was odd.” He confessed, he looked rather strange. His face was red, the gem was somehow implanted into his head, the outfit he chose was grey and clinging to his body. The cape flowed behind him.

“I looked into your mind and I saw the destruction,” Wanda stated, voice wavering when she saw the mark on his wrist filling in, you noticed and tapped the side of her hand, she glanced down at his wrist causing everyone to look.

“Look again,” The man stated confidently before examining the mark on his wrist, then looking up in confusion.

“Who has this mark?” He asked you turned to Wanda as Pietro ran into the room, bewildered as before when he saw the mark on his sister’s wrist filled in.

Wanda hesitantly raised her wrist, all heads in the room turned to her. You clenched your jaw as the man started walking around the room, looking at himself curiously.

“We need to focus, how do we know you aren’t what Ultron wanted you to be?” Steve asked.

“I’m not Ultron, I don’t know what I am,” He confessed then turned around to face everyone. “But we need to go, now.”

He lifted Thor’s hammer, offering it to him. You stifled a laugh at their expressions, reaching for Wanda’s hand and squeezing it lightly before walking off to get ready for the battle with Pietro.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

You hummed a soft tune while picking out a battle suit, eventually deciding on an outfit consisting of simple black leggings, a mid-length black t-shirt, fav/color, and black jacket and put your hair up into a ponytail, playing around with a few strands you took out before taking a picture out of your pocket, still humming softly to yourself.

“What are you humming?” Pietro asked, sitting beside you and smiling softly at the picture you held before pulling out an identical picture.

It was a picture of you, your parents and the Maximoff family at some beach picnic, you didn’t remember who had taken the picture. You and Pietro carried identical copies to remind yourself of the people who had believed in you, even if they were gone.

“Star-crossed by Jon Vinyl.” You answered, still humming the tune before taking the picture and tucking it into the zipper pocket on the fav/color jacket.

“You like that song?” Pietro asked jokingly, hiding his grief as he tucked the picture away and put on sneakers.

“It’s a good song with decent lyrics.” You argued, slipping on some black Adidas shoes similar to Pietro’s.

“Name one good lyric,” Pietro argued, you rolled your eyes while thinking of the lyrics and heading outside with him, putting the comms in your ear.

“Forbidden love is beautiful but tragic in the end, but we'll defy the universe, this time the house won't win.” You sang softly, Pietro shrugged in defeat and joined Wanda.

The three of you headed onto the jet, flying to where all of this had started.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

Steve gave a speech on where everyone should go and why they were still fighting. The twins and everyone else worked on getting the citizens of Sokovia to safety while you went with Bruce to rescue some agent named Natasha. Steve said in case she was injured you could heal her and bring her back to the jet before heading back into the fight.

You hugged Wanda and Pietro a quick goodbye, promising to see each other again before heading down to where Natasha was supposed to be. You chatted with Bruce on the way down the steps, ignoring how the mark was tingling and pulling up the sleeve instead. Bruce saw the mark and grinned, he’d seen the identical mark on Natasha’s wrist.

“Natasha!” He called out, a redheaded woman who had been sitting in a cell looked up and grinned at him.

“You didn’t find the key lying around anywhere, did you?” the woman, Natasha joked, you chuckled and picked up a gun, the tingling in your wrist increasing for some reason.

You carelessly scratched it and aimed the gun at the lock.

“I did.” You grinned, winking at her playfully and shooting the lock off once she’d backed off towards the corner of the room

You put the gun down then headed into the room once you saw a gash on her forehead, your wrist left exposed to her when you held up your hand to heal her forehead.

“What are you doing?” She asked, examining your face as your hand wandered gently over her forehead as you focused on healing her.

“Helping you, I’m y/n by the way.” You introduced, feeling the pain of the gash and clenching your jaw as you focused on healing the injury.

Natasha looked you up and down, examining every part of you to try to figure you out. She saw the black widow outline on your wrist slowly filling up as the pain from her forehead faded. You pulled away and smiled at her, noticing how stunned she was.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” You asked Natasha was bewildered as she pulled back the sleeve of her suit.

You frowned, expecting a gash to be covering her wrist instead of seeing a scarlet-colored black widow mark on her wrist, identical to yours. Your eyes widened as you looked at your wrist, the mark filled up now. You held it next to Natasha’s wrist in shock. You’d finally found your soulmate, Bruce grinned from the doorway before a large tremor shook the cave.

Natasha’s eyes glistened with tears when she realized it, she remembered every single night when she looked at the mark, thinking about her soulmate and if they would accept her. She often thought about it in the red room, using it as a reminder of why she should survive. After every single fight she remembered tracing the outline of it, hoping you won’t see her as tainted. Now that you were here, all her worries seemed to fade for some reason.

“You’re my, oh my god.” You muttered, too shocked to notice Natasha grinning as she saw your expression, emerald eyes filling with unshed tears as the realization of finally meeting her soulmate hit her.

You remembered tracing the outline of the symbol at so many different points in your life, first when you found out about soulmates, you remembered your parents telling you about it happily while you stared in wonder at the mark. You remember tracing it after they died, remembering their promise about you finding someone who is perfect for you, and will love you in every way. You remembered tracing it after HYDRA experiments, using it as a reason to suffer through it to stay alive. You remember it at your best times, wanting to share the rest of your life with whoever caused the mark to fill up.

“I don’t mean to break anything up,” Bruce began, you turned to him and hastily wiped at your eyes to stop your eyes from watering, noticing Natasha do the same thing

“But the cave is going to come down on us and I need to get you to safety.” Bruce gestured to Natasha who frowned, following you out of the cave.

“You aren’t going to turn green?” Natasha smirked, slowly getting over the shock of meeting her soulmate.

“I have a compelling reason not to lose my cool,” Bruce answered, walking out of the cave but Natasha grabbed his wrist, turning him around and pulling him into a hug. You raised an eyebrow at the action.

“I adore you,” She whispered, you noticed the smirk on her face and could instantly tell she was planning something.

Your suspicions were confirmed when she pushed him down the giant hole in the cave.

“But I need the other guy right now.” She said, looking down the hole, the Hulk climbed up and stood in front of her, grinning at both of you.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“This was not part of the plan!” You screamed as air rushed past your face as the Hulk carried you and Natasha up to Sokovia. None of you had any idea why the entire city was floating, but you knew you needed to help.

“What was the plan?” Natasha asked you opened your mouth to shout out an answer before the Hulk threw you and Natasha into the sticks.

Both of you rolled for a bit before reaching a stop, you groaned and got up, not hearing what she said to Bruce as she got up and quickly helped you up.

“Not this.” You muttered, letting her help you up and quickly leading you to a bulldozer to lead you to the center of the city where the fighting was.

“How did all of this happen?” She asked after you climbed into it, she hotwired it and started mowing over the bots Ultron had created on her way to the center.

“I have no idea, ask Stark, the twins, and I just joined this mess.” You answered, hiding the fact that leaving the scepter to Tony was kind of your idea.

Natasha laughed and answered Tony on the comms as more boats started to come in your way.

“So, do you have any magical powers that I should know?” Natasha asked conversationally, you giggled a little before answering.

“I’m strong and I can heal people, but I feel the pain of the injury while healing them. The most I’ve healed so far is a stab wound of sorts.” You remembered the barrel in Steve’s arm as she stopped the bulldozer, shooting a few of the robots in front.

You followed her, not having enough experience to do any better. The battle raged on, Steve eventually joined you and Natasha to the edge of the city where you had been fighting bots. You headed into the main area where all of the citizens had gone to help them, Natasha came with you to protect you but you waved her off.

You felt all the pain of the injuries the citizens had sustained, there were injuries as little as scraped knees, but some as big as stab wounds. After healing about 10 people, you were completely drained as pain pulsed through you, you headed outside to where Steve and Natasha were.

“Where else am I going to get a view like this?” Natasha asked you laughed after realizing the view was stunning, it would’ve been better if the circumstances were better.

“I’m glad you liked the view Romanoff, it’s about to get a lot better.” a voice said on your comms, you frowned as the twins joined you, grinning at the sight of a helicarrier breaking above the clouds.

“Fury you son of a bitch,” Steve stated, Fury retorted something you didn’t really pay attention to, you were too busy looking at the ship.

“This is SHIELD?” Pietro asked, in awe of the huge ship.

“This is what SHIELD is supposed to be,” Steve answered, grinning at the ship.

“This isn’t so bad.” You smiled, giving Pietro a high five before heading to the center of the city.

The rest of the team fought Ultron after some huge monologue he made which no one paid attention to. Your job was to help the injured citizens before they got on the ships back to the helicarrier. Most of them were fine, just a little shocked. Some had minor injuries which you didn’t have time to heal. You helped the ones who had broken ankles or gashes that could bleed out. Every single patient drained energy from you, your lip swollen after biting it so much to prevent your screaming.

You pushed past it, wanting to help these people in a way no one had helped you. Natasha watched you heal everyone who asked for your help, she watched you offer comfort when you could. You were too empathic for your own good. Clint had chatted with her about your past, it amazed her how someone who had been through so much still had the capacity to be so good. You amazed her.

Most of the citizens were on the ships and on their way onto the helicarrier. Ultron had almost been defeated, his real body had been blown onto a train, no one noticed him hobbling onto the quinjet. The Avengers defeated the bots, Thor and Tony stayed behind to take care of the city, the plan was to blow it to bits once the citizens were safe.

Clint looked exhausted as he headed towards the ship, you tiredly smirked at him, taking care of a woman in her late twenties who claimed she had broken her wrist. You healed her while biting your cheek to prevent yourself from groaning in pain. You’d accidentally groaned once while healing someone who had a broken foot, they saw you were in pain and went away from you.

“You okay old man?” You joked, inhaling sharply as you felt the full pain of the injury before it slowly started to fade.

“Shut up.” He groaned, about to sit down when a mother said she left her child in the bazaar.

He sighed and got up, running to the child. He was halfway back when both of you noticed the quinjet shooting, he was directly in the line of fire. Your eyes widened before you could do anything to help, something silver ran quickly in front of him.

Pietro spoke something to him with a smirk before collapsing, his shirt filled with red bullet holes as he stared blankly ahead, the light slowly fading from his eyes.

“NO!” You screamed, running towards Pietro in hopes of healing him.

Clint let the kid run to his mother, trying to stop you by your shoulders. He knew you couldn’t heal Pietro, he didn’t want you to feel the kind of pain of not being able to save him. You shoved him aside forcefully, turning Pietro over and wandering your hands over his dead body.

You concentrated the hardest you could, the pain starting out slowly, it grew intense quickly. You screamed out in pain, the pain going directly to your head. You couldn’t bear it, you tried to push past it to save him, to save your brother.

You clenched your jaw tightly, panting as you looked down at him, the bullet holes hadn’t stopped bleeding, your vision started turning black, the last thing you heard was Natasha yelling your name before you collapsed onto the ground.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“Y/n, wake up.” Someone said, slapping your face softly.

You squint your eyes before opening them, feeling the ground below you. You were on the chairs of the ship, you looked around to see Natasha on top of you, shaking you awake, emerald eyes filled with concern. You smiled weakly at her, pain filling your head. You propped yourself up on your elbows and looked around.

Clint was asleep on the seats across from you, looking down, you saw your worst nightmare. Pietro was dead, his face pale, his entire chest red from blood. You gasped, your heart dropping to the ground, you couldn’t save him.

Hot tears started streaming down your face, you bit your already swollen lip to try to hold a sob in but failed. You pulled your knees to your chest, Natasha rubbed your back to try to comfort you but Steve called her over to calm Banner down, she sighed.

“I’ll be right back okay?” She asked, you nodded weakly but continued sobbing. Natasha sighed and got up to go calm him down.

The tears wouldn’t stop flowing from your eyes, Pietro was like your brother, he had cared for you when no one else had. Even when Wanda was with you, Pietro had always been closer. You knew this would destroy Wanda, you couldn’t do anything to save him.

You turned around to see the Hulk flying back to the helicarrier, you recognized the red hair in his arms and knew Natasha was safe. You rubbed your eyes to see, clenching your jaw as you tried not to look at Pietro. The city dropped as soon as the ship had gone away from it.

“Shit,” You muttered, Wanda was still there.

You looked out intently, hoping one of the team would fly her out, you couldn’t lose both of your siblings in one day. A few seconds later, Vision was carrying Wanda back to the ship, he set her down at the door, she walked over to you.

You saw her face fall, tears slip down her eyes, her heartbreak at the sight of her dead brother. You pulled her into a hug, her tears soaking your jacket and shirt as she trembled.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t save him. I’m so sorry Wanda.” You murmured into her shoulder.

Wanda wanted to blame you, she wanted to blame someone but she knew Pietro wouldn’t want that. The choice he made was his, he knew what he was doing. She saw how guilty you felt and knew she shouldn’t blame you, the only person she should blame was dead, she couldn’t do anything else.

You held each other as you sobbed on your way back to the helicarrier, mourning the loss of your brother.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“Are you feeling okay?” Natasha asked, walking into the room Tony had given you to live in.

“I’m fine.” You answered, tugging his jacket closer around yourself, Natasha saw you weren’t and sat next to you on the bed.

“It’s okay not to.” She comforted, rubbing your back gently, you ran a hand through your hair, letting yourself relax into her touch.

“I just, I wasn’t enough to save him.” You muttered, Natasha sighed but hesitated to pull you into a hug.

She got up and held her arms open for you, you raised an eyebrow at the action but sighed and let yourself melt into her embrace. Your head still throbbed from all the pain of yesterday.

“You saved more people than I can count y/n, we can’t save everyone all the time,” Natasha whispered softly. You let yourself take some comfort in her words.

“I don’t deserve a soulmate as good as you.” you laughed humorlessly, she frowned and pulled away, looking at you with a soft emerald gaze.

“You know, for the longest time I always thought my soulmate would be disappointed in me. But when I’m with you, I don’t feel like a disappointment, I feel better than I have in years.” Natasha said softly, trying her best to comfort you.

Her spy training meant she could manipulate people into calming down, but all of her training went out of the window when she was with you.

“You could never disappoint.” You stated, Natasha reached one hand to cup your cheek softly, you looked up at her nervously.

“Neither can you,” Natasha whispered, leaning her forehead against yours hesitantly.

She didn’t know how comfortable you were with physical contact, she felt you shift in her arms and she pulled away, scared she had crossed a line.

“Sorry if I’m moving too fast.” Natasha apologized, standing close to you but not touching you.

“You’re not, I’m just not used to it.” You confessed, a soft smile creeping onto your face at how soft Natasha was with you.

“Neither am I, we get used to it together right?” She asked jokingly, you laughed, she heard the genuinity in your laugh and smiled.

“Of course, we are star-crossed after all.” You joked weakly, your heart feeling a little lighter after talking to her.

“There’s a song I heard a few days ago called that,” Natasha smirked, humming the tune before remembering the exact lyrics.

You smiled weakly at the memory of humming it to Pietro before she softly sand the tune in your ear, nervously wrapping her arms around your waist. You slid your hand around her neck, resting your head on her chest, letting her heartbeat comfort you.

“My heart can't keep a secret

I'm all in my chips are on the floor”

Natasha sang softly, hoping you’d remember all the lyrics.

You smiled, feeling her breath tickle your neck as her heartbeat matched yours. You took in a breath and looked up at her.

“'Cause if we're star-crossed lovers we should act like it.” You sang back, smiling at her. Natasha leaned in hesitantly, searching your face for a sign of reluctance.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked, you smiled at how reluctant she was and nodded.

Natasha reached a hand up to cup your cheek and leaned in slowly, lips meeting yours after what felt like centuries of waiting. Your lips moved over hers hesitantly, breaths mingling as your hand went up into her hair to pull her closer. Natasha smiled into the kiss, her lack of breath forcing her to pull away.

You felt more at home than you had in years, in the arms of your soulmate, you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your life with your star-crossed lover.

Tag List: @capcarolsdanver, @versdan, @lesbian-girls-wayhaught, @lovebotlarson, @dhengkt, @5aftermidnight, @hstoria, @natasha-danvers, @veryfunnyal, @xxxtwilightaxelxxx , @ophelias-heart , @never-didbefore , @justarandomhumanhere, @the-most-unicorn-of-them-all , @thatssocamryn , @lesbian-x-blackwidow , @marvelbbyx , @wlw-imaginesss let me know if you’d like to be in any of my tag lists!

A/N: Thoughts? This is hella long so feedback on this would be AMAZING, thanks!

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aries-writingblog · 4 years ago

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Stay With Me (10)

Summary: James Buchanan Barnes had never looked at himself as a family guy. He never even thought of it until she came around, flipping his world inside out. Bucky likes trouble and this girl? Well, she seems to invite chaos to dinner.

Pairing: Mob! Bucky Barnes x OC! Alex Grant

Chapter Word Count: 1937

Chapter Warnings: language, kidnapping, violence, gun usage, gunshot wounds, character death, blood

A/N: This is an OC story but I try to make them with the least amount of physical description as necessary. The pronouns used are feminine for the character. (GIF is not mine; credit to original owner)

Alex slammed her car door, making sure her gun was hidden in her waistband. She had taken a taxi to her house where she changed clothes quickly, grabbed her gun and sped all the way to the hotel. She had shown before Bucky and his boys, ahead of schedule for once. She slipped into the lobby of the hotel, managing to sneak by the desk clerk, as he was watching a movie on his phone.

She found the room easily, rapping her knuckles against the wooden door. It opened, revealing the one and only, sick bastard, John Walker. He stepped out, glancing down the hallway before shoving her into the room.

“Easy!” She snapped, looking around for the twins. “Where are they?” John shrugged, eyes roaming her body. Alex set her jaw, staring into his manic blue eyes. The dark circles under them weren’t very reassuring, neither was the unkempt hair or beard. “John, where are my kids?”

“Relax- they’re in the bathroom.” Alex stepped toward it but John pulled his gun, aiming it to her. “Not a chance. I’ll bring them out. You stay put.”

He pulled Wanda first, throwing her around wildly. He shoved her onto the bed, forcing her to sit. Alex took the moment to search her body. Nothing seemed too bad, bruising on her restrained arms and tears cut paths through her makeup but nothing was broken or bleeding. Tape kept her wrists bound and gagged. Then, Pietro was pulled through, shoved beside his sister. He was in the same state, restrained and bruised. His eyes were red, cheeks wet.

“They have nothing to do with this, John. I’m the one who hurt you- embarrassed you- I’m the one you have a grudge with. Not them.” Alex pleaded, showing her palms in an attempt to placate him. John only hummed, pouting slightly. His hand went to Wanda’s hair, combing through it. She winced, flinching away from him. Alex’s nostrils flared, wanting to cut his hand off for touching her.

“Dunno... I think it’s kinda their fault.” He answered, his eyes falling back to Alex. “After you left me, I couldn’t go anywhere without getting these looks of pity or embarrassment... my own parents could barely look at me.”

“I think that’s mainly just you as a person.” Alex cut in, her eyes cutting back to the teens. John ignored her.

“Then- I tracked you down. To a nice house over in Brooklyn- a nice neighborhood. I was gonna ask you to talk- why you changed your mind about us. But then... then I saw these two coming down the steps and you behind them.” John raised his gun, using it to push Pietro’s hair from his forehead. The boy flinched, a muffled whimper breaking their silent shock. Alex’s heart shattered, trying to keep it together. “You’d replaced me with these... children. You could’ve told me you wanted a family- we could’ve done this together, made something better than street rats.”

“Those street rats are the best things that ever happened to me.” Alex’s voice cracked, her nose burning with unshed tears. “They deserved better than they had- just like I had in Rhode Island.” John turned his back to her, laughing and using the muzzle of his gun to scratch his head. Alex took the opportunity- pulling her gun out and aiming at his head. When he turned back, his eyes narrowed, a scowl etching onto his face. “Let. Them. Go.”

“I don’t think so.” John responded, pointing the gun to Pietro. Alex’s eyes met theirs, trying to keep them calm. Her heart was racing, skin sweaty. Her head no longer felt attached to her body, lightheaded from the adrenaline rush. “I think... I think I’ll start with this one-“

His gun fired, hers following immediately. Pietro’s body fell to the side- Wanda’s muffled scream rang in Alex’s ears as she rushed to him. John collapsed to the carpet. Pietro’s eyes were glued open, terrified. She pulled the tape from his mouth carefully.

“Alex-“ he rasped, voice cracking.

“Shh... I’ve got you- I swear, I do. It’s alright.” She moved his arms, seeing the seeping blood from his side. It was near his right hip. She moved quickly, ripping his shirt and finding the source. She could still hear Wanda’s violent sobbing behind her, making a decision to care for the immediate problem. “I need you to breathe, Piet.”

“I don’t wanna die- I don’t want to leave you!” He sobbed, tears rolling down his face. Alex’s eyes burned as she carefully dug into the entry wound, finding the bullet. He cried out again, Alex flinched.

“You won’t.” She replied, voice shaking. “You’re gonna be just fine- I swear it.” There was a groan and shuffling from the other side of the bed. She registered these noises, along with Wanda’s gasp. Her heart stalled as she realized: She missed. Alex looked back, seeing John’s hand come back up with a shaky grip on the gun. Pointed dead center at Wanda.

It happened so quickly, Alex had whiplash. She saw his finger go to the trigger and she threw herself around Wanda, hugging the girl to her chest. It fired- a searing pain rippling through Alex’s shoulder as they fell back onto the bed. Just as his gun fired, the door burst open- kicked off its hinges.

Bucky Barnes stormed in, his gun aimed at John. It was too late. John’s eyes had rolled back into his head- blood seeping out from his chest. He looked to a shell shocked Pietro, who was bleeding, to a hunched figure of Alex who cradled Wanda close to her chest, who was also bleeding from her shoulder. All three were sobbing. Steve and Sam raced into the room, seeing the exact scene Bucky was.

Bucky’s shock wore off, he raced to Wanda and Alex, pointing over to Pietro. Steve and Sam attended the boy while Bucky knelt down to see the damage. Alex’s eyes were wide as she stared at John’s lifeless body. Bucky intercepted the thousand yard stare, keeping himself in her line of sight.

“Alex, sugar, let’s get you off Wanda, alright?” He coaxed her, grasping her shoulders and rolling her over to the bed. She stayed frozen as Bucky gently removed the tape from Wanda’s mouth, using a pocket knife to carefully cut her wrists loose. As soon as she was free, Wanda launched herself into Bucky’s arms, pressing her small body into his. Bucky wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her head. “Shh, it’s alright... it’s okay...” He looked over to Steve. “Police are gonna be here soon- call Clint and Fury down at the station, tell him everything.” Steve nodded, dialing a new number.

“Paramedics are coming up now.” Steve reported, stepping to the side as two burst into the open door. They loaded Pietro’s shaking body onto the gurney, whisking him into an ambulance. Another pair wasn’t far behind, taking Alex’s stiff, shocked body with them. Wanda kept her grip on Bucky tight as the two were wheeled down.

~~~~~~

Bucky’s concern for Wanda lessened slightly as they sat together in the waiting room. She had a good enough grasp on reality now that she was able to tell an officer everything- from how John had jumped the three kids coming home from school, leaving Peter unconscious, to when Alex saved them. The two were still back- they had only heard that neither had surgery, just a removal and clean up. But they had both been dosed with morphine to calm them. So it would be a while until they came back around.

So, Bucky sat with the sixteen year old, watching YouTube videos on her phone together. It distracted her enough to stop crying so he didn’t question it. They sat for hours, watching makeup videos together. Not speaking, just... being. Together.

Eventually, Pietro‘s nurse came to the waiting room, telling them they could follow her. Wanda leapt from her chair, following the nurse. She looked back over her shoulder, seeing Bucky still sitting in his chair.

“Aren’t you coming?” She demanded. Bucky gave a smile as he followed her back. Pietro was just coming around, still groggy when they stepped into the room. He gave a sleepy smile when he saw his twin and Bucky.

“I don’t think this is heaven.” He muttered, rolling his head to face them. Wanda flicked his forehead, pulling him into a tight hug.

“Fucking idiot.” She scolded, her voice muffled by his shoulder. Pietro chuckled softly, looking over to Bucky.

“Is Alex...”

“No- no,” Bucky answered immediately, stepping up and taking a chair beside his bed. “She’s fine. She was hopped up like you and just hasn’t come around yet. Should be getting word any minute now.” Pietro let go a heavy, shaking breath.

“What the fuck?” He whispered. Wanda backed away and sat beside Bucky. “I sort of recognized that guy- he’s kinda fuzzy- but, what happened?” Bucky sighed, leaning his tattooed forearms on his knees.

“I think it’s time to explain everything to you two.”

~~~~~~

The twins had fallen asleep, leaving Bucky to stare out of the window for at least ten minutes before he left the room. It had been enough excitement for one day- one lifetime. And maybe he had overstepped earlier- explaining the whole situation to them, something Alex should’ve done. He felt that he owed them the truth, at the very least. So he did just that.

“Mr. Barnes?” A soft feminine voice called over his shoulder. Bucky put the coffee cup down on the table, turning from the waiting room window. “Miss Grant is awake, ready to see you.”

She showed him to the door and left him to it. Bucky walked in, keeping his eyes trained on her. She was staring out of the window. She turned her head, hearing Bucky walk in.

“Pietro?” She asked, her voice weak. Bucky poured a cup of water, helping her sit up and drink. He spoke as she did so.

“He fell asleep bout thirty minutes ago, left him with Wanda.” He explained, sitting on the bed with her. His calloused hand rolled over her knuckles, her palm turning up to meet his. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner- as soon as I heard the second shot...”

“Did I...” Alex swallowed hard, gripping his hand tightly. Her right shoulder was bandaged heavily, her left hand holding Bucky’s. “Did I kill him?” Bucky sighed, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“It was filed under a domestic violence dispute. A self defense shot.” Bucky replied, avoiding the words she wanted to hear.

“Did I kill him?” She asked again, this time a slower cadence. His eyes met hers, they were swollen and red, bloodshot- but determination still glimmered in the irises.

“Yes...” Bucky responded quietly. “He’s dead.” Alex’s head fell back onto the pillow, biting down on her lip. “No one blames you. You did what you had to.” She didn’t respond, her watery eyes trained on the ceiling. Bucky ran a hand up her arm, his thumb rolling circles into her skin on the way down. “I promise... no one thinks any less of you for it.”

“But I do!” She sobbed, sniffling hard as her chest heaved. “I kill... I killed a man in front of my kids!” Bucky moved closer, pulling her into a hug. She buried her face in his neck, sobbing loudly.

“Shh... it’s okay...” Bucky murmured, brushing her hair back. He took a deep breath, looking up to the ceiling to hold back his own tears. “It’s all gonna be okay. I promise...”

#bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes fic #bucky x oc

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chalantness · 5 years ago

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merry (early) christmas! drabble // bucky & wanda word count: 1,072 // rating: pg-13

-- (canon divergent, post-avengers: endgame)

It’s silly, really.

She doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, and at this point, she doesn’t really celebrate anything. She doesn’t practice, and it doesn’t... it’s not something she particularly feels guilty about. She’s been through a lot, survived a lot, and she still has her faith. She’s simply placed it in herself and the people around her that make her feel safe and cherished and alive.

Only a few years ago, that still included her brother.

She misses her parents, of course. Of course she does, and she always will, but Pietro had been different. That had been a tangible, painful feeling she couldn’t even begin to describe, and she knows it changed her. Maybe not for worse, but certainly not for better, either. She’s grown so much, learned so much in the last few years, but she doesn’t want to think of it being because Pietro had died. She could have easily become this same, strong person without having such a vital part of herself ripped away. It’s what makes it so much harder to think about this time of year, when she knows people are meant to celebrate their families and honor their loved ones. She loves the life she’s found, the people she surrounds herself with. She knows she has a lot to appreciate.

But Pietro should have been able to appreciate it, too. He would have loved it here. He would have--

Wanda jumps, alarm tugging at her a half-second before the power goes out. She blinks quickly, gripping onto the throw pillow she’d pulled into her lap as her eyes slowly adjust to the dull light from the moon through the glass walls. Belatedly, she realizes her heart is thrumming against her chest, though she thinks that has more to do with being startled than being afraid. It’s a clear night out, no storm to accidentally blow the power out, and Tony Stark personally oversaw the reconstruction of The Avengers Facility. Considering there are people working around the clock in this building, they can’t just lose power.

Which likely means that Tony Stark himself is the cause. Or whatever he and Peter Parker are tinkering around with in the labs is, anyway.

Her eyes are almost completely adjusted to the dark when she hears soft footsteps padding down the hall, and she turns toward the entryway just as James Barnes’ silhouette fills steps into the living room. He smiles at her through the dark, small but sweet, and she glances down to make out the shape of two mugs in his hands.

“Was already done making these when it went dark in the kitchen,” he says, his voice low, gruff, nearly making Wanda shiver as he steps toward her. Despite the fact that she’s incredibly adept at reading people, for obvious reasons, James Barnes is someone she hasn’t entirely figured out. She knows the basics, and she’s been around him long enough to see the flicker of the man that he used to be in his eyes, not quite fighting with the man that he’s become, but still shifting up to the surface more often than not.

He holds one of the mugs out toward her as he comes to stand beside her on the couch, and she accepts it with a soft, “thank you,” before tipping her head to the side, gesturing for him to join her. He breathes out a chuckle as he sinks into the couch beside her, and his sudden closeness, his ease of his body unwinding right next to hers -- like they’ve done this for years and years -- makes something warm tug at her chest. He’s oddly comfortable with her, she notes, even though she thinks he’s active in keeping her distance. She doesn’t take it personally, though. She knows this wariness has more to do with himself than not trusting her.

“Do you usually drink hot chocolate in the middle of the night?” Wanda asks as she cradles the mug with both hands, bringing it up close enough to feel the warmth of it on her face. He’s topped it off with a pile of chocolate sprinkles and marshmallows rather than whipped cream, and she can smell a hint of cinnamon through the sugar and chocolate. She half-hides her widening smile behind the cup as she watches him through her eyelashes, thankful for the dark when she feels her cheeks growing warm.

James shrugs his shoulders a little. “Not usually. I don’t...” He licks his lips and glances away, just for a moment, before his eyes find hers again. “I used to have a big sweet tooth, before. When I need a pick-me-up, it comes back out.”

“Have you needed it lately?” she asks, voice soft. She knows the feeling well.

But rather than feeling the tug of melancholy from his thoughts, she feels something softer and lighter. He feels relieved. “No,” he answers, about to continue on before stopping himself short and glancing away from her again. Nerves prickle at his thoughts, but only for a second, and suddenly she’s surrounded by his warmth as he catches her gaze again. “I thought that maybe you did, though?” he says, voice trailing off in a question even as his smile widens just a little bit more. “You can tell me to get lost, by the way. I’m... I know we don’t know each other very well.”

She laughs softly, cheeks flushing even more, if possible. “We know each other,” she argues gently, watching something quick pass through his eyes at her words before he nods once, seeming to smile to himself about something. “I think you know me more than you give yourself credit for, because this?” She lifts the mug in her hands up slightly. “This was the right call.”

“Good.” He nods again, licks his lips, and Wanda...

Her heart flutters. She thinks he knows it, too, by the way his eyes twinkle through the dark, and it’s -- it’s nice, being the one that someone else can read for a change.

(His lips taste like cinnamon and chocolate when they press softly against hers a few moments later, setting their mugs aside on the table before he’s cupping the back of her neck and kissing her just a little bit harder, just a little bit deeper. Eventually the lights turn back on, but her eyes stay closed, and she doesn’t open them for quite some time afterward.)

#winterwitch #bucky barnes #wanda maximoff #chanty writes #chanty's holiday 2019

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araniladin · 5 years ago

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The One Bed Trope is Happening

She hung in the air, framed by the moon. Team RWBY and their friends all looked up in shock.

Ruby’s mouth hit the floor, not believing what she was seeing. That red hair, the green dress, it couldn’t be.

She landed with a heavy thunk, turning towards the other huntresses and huntsmen. Her eyes focused on Ruby and widen in surprise and excitement.

Ruby’s heart started to beat faster. It couldn’t be. “Penny?”

“Sal-” she said, crouching low.

Panic settled in Ruby.

“-U-”

“Oh no no.” Ruby looked left and right, but there was nowhere to run.

“-tations!” A flash of green fire and she closed the distance.

Ruby managed to engage her Aura right as Penny impacted her. She was pretty sure the tackle hug only bruised her ribs instead of breaking them.

“It's such a pleasure to see you again!” Penny said. She held onto Ruby’s hand after helping her to her feet.

“Penny...I thought...I thought you died.” Ruby wiped tears from her eyes.

“I mean, technically she did,” Pietro said, walking up to them. “But we found her core intact when Amenity Arena finally arrived here.”

“I’m as good as new!” Penny said.

“And no more accidental shredding,” Pietro said. Penny knocked on her head with a fist, a metallic drum sound. They both laughed.

“That is…” Weiss started.

“...surprisingly wholesome,” Blake finished, both of them smiling.

“That sounds like Penny,” Yang added, joining in on watching her sister reunite with Penny.

“We have so much to catch up on,” Penny said, pulling Ruby into a hug. “I cannot wait!”

In the distance, another alarm sounds.

“It looks like it has to wait.” Still holding onto Ruby, Penny launched them both into the sky.

Ruby, trained huntress and master of aerial combat, wrapped her arms and legs around Penny.

“Meet us back at the house!” Pietro called out after them. Penny turned around in the air to snap off a salute before flying away.

“Penny,” Ruby asked as they flew through the city. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“Everything will be fine.” Penny patted Ruby’s head. “I’m the protector of the city. Plus with you here, I have backup.”

Ruby bit her lip. “I’m not licensed, and it seems like Atlas is pretty strict on that kind of stuff.”

“Oh,” Penny said, sad before perking up. “Don’t worry about it!” She hiccupped.

That made Ruby worry more.

As they cross over a section of the city bathed in red light, Ruby saw the Grimm.

“Do you know what a speedball special is?” Ruby asked, judging the distance between the Grimm and them.

Penny’s eyes faded for a second before brightening. “I do now! Let’s do it!”

Braking in the air, Penny lifted Ruby over her head. Snapping out Crescent Rose, Ruby prepped herself for the throw. “NOW!”

Spinning forward to build up momentum, Penny launched Ruby at the Grimm.

Her impact sent the tiger-like Grimm into the air. Penny’s lasers flashed out and turned them into little specs of evil dust.

Knowing that Penny held air superiorty and had awesome lasers, Ruby tossed the Grimm into the air.

Ruby set them up, Penny knocked them down. No other partner Ruby worked with synchronized as well as Penny did.

Soon the area was clear of Grimm and Penny landed next to Ruby.

“That was so much fun!” Penny hugged Ruby, and Ruby worried if her ribs would ever be the same.

Suddenly, Penny let Ruby go and grabbed a cable out of the air. It wrapped around her arm, but did nothing to imped the robot girl.

“Halt! You are in violation of Atlas law!” A tall, very handsome man jumped down, landing in front of Ruby and Penny. Behind him, four other people jumped down. One carried an odd gun, most likey where the bolos came from. They all wore matching uniforms, blue, white and red of Atlas special operations.

“We are not!” Penny said, pulling the bolos from her arm and placing it on the ground. “You know who I am, Commander Ebi.”

“I have no idea who she is,” Commander Ebi said, pointing at Ruby. “We cannot have unauthorized weapon use in our city.”

“She’s my partner,” Penny said, taking Ruby’s hand and standing between her and the spec ops team.

Commander Ebi frowned, pulling out his scroll. “Is she licenced to hunt in Atlas?”

The glow in Penny’s eyes faded again, dull for a second before coming back. “Yes!” She hiccuped. “Her name is Ruby Rose.”

The scroll in his hand flashed up a picture of Ruby, from back before the fall of Beacon. He peered at the date of licencing, but e couldn’t find anything wrong with it.

“My apologies, Miss Polendona and Miss Rose.” Commander Ebi tucked his scroll away. “This is not the only case we need to investigate, have a good evening.” The ops team leaped into the buildings and disappeared into the night.

“What was that?” Ruby asked.

“The Ace Ops, General Ironwood’s elite police force,” Penny reached down to take Ruby’s hand again. She leaned into her. “They are nice people, but my father says they are doing the wrong thing for the right reason. He says it’s okay if I bend the rules.”

“Wait, what do you mean, bend the rules?” Ruby said. “Wait, did you hack his scroll to tell him I was a licensed huntress?”

Penny blushed, grinding her toe into the pavement. “I didn’t hack his scroll…”

“Oh, good,” Ruby said, sighing in relief.

“I hacked the Atlas licensing servers and backdated you into the system.”

“PENNY! That’s illegal!” Ruby looked around, panicking. If they found out she was illegally licensed, she would go to jail and never speak to Ironwood.

“I know, but it was for a good cause!” Penny shrunk down. “They would have taken you to Atlas, and processed you, and I wouldn’t be able to see again for six to eight weeks, if they didn’t deport you for being a non native huntress in Mantle.”

“Penny…” Ruby leaned into the other woman, conflicted.

Penny pressed her forhead against Ruby’s. “I’m sorry for lying, Ruby.”

She shook her head. “I’m not upset you lied, I’m just not sure how to feel about all this.”

“Well, mabye we should also go check on your team, I believe they might be the second task Commander Ebi was referring to.” Penny looked back the way they came. “Although my father says they are in the safe house and thus are safe.”

Ruby shot up. “Oh no! Yes, let’s go!” She turned to start running before stopping. “Can… can we fly there?”

“YES!” Penny said.

“Just, do you have another way of carrying me?”

Penny nodded, and picked Ruby up bridal style. “Let’s go!”

Ruby was pretty sure Penny took the scenic route back, not that she complained. Penny assured her team was safe, the Ace Ops were off making sure that some miners didn’t strike, and Penny could fly. It was one of the coolest things Ruby ever did.

That and it was Penny. Since the Fall of Beacon, she always felt anxious, felt that she could do more. That everything was horrible and she couldn’t do anything about it. But seeing Penny again, she felt that hope again.

That and a few other feelings. The blush across her face was from the cold and not being so close to Penny again.

The safe house turned out to be deep in the slums, another clinic run by Peitro. Penny landed on the roof, although still carrying Ruby. She paused at the door, puzzled at finding her hands occupied. Ruby noticed that Penny’s face was very red, and she wondered how an android would suffer from the cold.

“Uh, Penny, want to put me down?” Ruby asked, although she didn’t, not really.

“No,” Penny said. “But I think I have to.” She dropped Ruby to her feet. This time, Ruby grabbed her hand as they entered.

In the kitchen, Nora and Ren cooked. Jaune had wondered off to the room he was sharing with the rest of his team. Maria, Peitro, and Oscar conversed at the table.

“Is there anywhere I might be able to change or freshen up a bit?” Ruby asked.

“Your team took a room down the hall,” Maria said. “Although Weiss went to try contacting her sister again. Blake and Yang should be in there.”

Peitro glanced at Ruby and Penny holding hands and smiled.

Leading Ruby to the room Maria said Team RWBY staked out, Penny burst in.

Blake straddled Yang, kissing her as she pinned her to the bed. They both looked up at the interruption before Blake hissed.

“I am so sorry!” Penny pulled the door closed and pushed Ruby into the hallway.

“Well, my room should be free, want to use that?” Penny asked.

“I think it might be safer for me to just stay the night there,” Ruby said, pulling out her scroll. “And someone should warn Weiss.” She shot off a short text.

“YES!” Penny hugged Ruby. “Although it’s not really my room, since my actual room is up in Atlas, but my father always let me have the highest room in the building. Come on!”

Up the stairs they travelled again, but Ruby didn’t care. Penny’s excitement bled over to her.

“Welcome to my-” Penny opened the door before slamming it shut. “Wait, it’s messy, let me clean it up.” She hiccuped before disappearing into the room

Ruby blinked. What she had peeked, the room looked spartan, two beds and a shared dresser drawer.

The unmistakable sound of an old window opening added to the confusion. The scraping sound of someone shoving something heavy across the floor, grunts as they lifted said heavy object before the unmistakable sound of something falling out the window. There was a loud crash, and Ruby heard Weiss yelling.

“What the fuck?! Is that a bed?! What is going on up there?!”

“Sorry Weiss!” Penny yelled back, and the sound of Weiss yelling back quieted as the window shut.

“Come on in!” Penny said, opening the door.

The room now had one bed, a dresser drawer, and the dusty trail of one person flinging the other bed out of the window.

“Penny…” Ruby said, unsure what to say.

“Sorry there is only one bed, but I’m sure we can manage.” She hiccuped and Ruby wondered which part of what she said was a lie.

Smiling, Ruby reached out and hugged Penny. “I am so glad you’re back.”

Penny wrapped her arms around Ruby, and did not crush her ribs this time. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Tear stains appeared on Penny’s top and Ruby realized it was her. She squeezed her friend harder, and didn’t let the tears stop.

Penny cradled her as Ruby cried. All the feelings of the past year, it broke. Ruby wasn’t sure how long she cried, but Penny hugged her, whispered encouragement into her ear, and mostly just made sure Ruby felt safe.

Sitting up, Ruby wiped the snot off her face. “Do you know where the bathroom is? I..I just want to clean my face and put on some clean clothes.”

Penny placed Ruby on the bed, and grabbed a large shirt out of the dresser drawers. “Will this work? The bathroom is just down the hall.” Looking down. “And I can get another bed, if you don’t want to share…”

Taking the shirt, Ruby kissed Penny’s cheek. “I think it would be splendid to share a bed with you. Although I’m big spoon.”

They both laughed and Ruby went to clean up. She changed, brushed her teeth with the stuff on hand, and went back.

Penny had turned off the lights, although the city glowed through the window. Penny had also changed into a sleeping shirt. She grinned at Ruby. “How you feeling?”

Ruby walked over, tilted Penny’s chin up, and kissed her. “Much better, and very tired. Thank you.”

Penny blushed, but did not pull away. “Than lets get some you some sleep.”

“Wait, are you not going to sleep?” Ruby frowned.

“I’m an android. I’ll just shut down for a bit.” She laid on the bed, scooting over so Ruby could spoon her. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure you aren’t cold.”

“Oh, okay,” Ruby said, unsure but willing to do it. She laid behind Penny, hugging her to her chest. The android was surprisingly warm, and Ruby let it drag her into sleep.

Till Weiss kicked open the door. “Fucking Blake and Yang, they should hang a sock-” She stopped seeing, first only one bed, and two, Ruby and Penny sharing the other one.

“...are you two going to be fucking?”

Ruby blinked, and Penny shook her head.

“Good, move over, I’m tired.”

“Uh….” Ruby and Penny shared a look, but Weiss laid down behind Ruby.

She nuzzled into Ruby and was soon asleep. Ruby, trapped between the two of them smirked and just went with it.

“Tomorrow, I’m the middle spoon,” Penny said, and the other two giggled.

#RWBY #Ruby Rose #penny polendina #Nuts and Dolts #rwby 7 spoilers #Weiss Schnee #Penny x Ruby #Ruby x Penny #And a bit of Mechincal White Rose at the end

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lady-byleth · 5 years ago

Note

I'm the anon who hasn't watched since V5 because I forgot. I was baffled enough by the whole Clover death and Qrow teaming up with Tyrian thing and now I've learnt that Ironwood sHOT A FUCKING CHILD?! Like, I know he's that character type of 'I'll do anything to fulfill my duty' but to go that far?! Doesn't help that I loved Oscar from his first appearance... Can you explain what happened in V7, 'cause I haven't understood a single thing I've seen of it and I'm not sure if I want to watch it...

It's pretty straightforward actually. Team RWBYJNPRQ and Maria arrive in Mantle which has basically been turned into 1984, meet Penny, get arrested by the Ace Ops and brought to Ironwood who reveals he told Penny, Winter and the Ace Ops about Salem

He then tells them about his plan to turn Amity Colosseum into a global communications tower that is going to be so high up in the atmosphere the Grimm can't reach it

Ruby decides to not reveal the whole truth about Salem and the Lamp, presumably because she doesn't fully trust him with how Mantle has been changed, but offers the groups help

The next few episodes deal with Amity, the kids getting their Huntsmen lisences and the council elections both Robyn Hill and Jacques Schnee are running in. They spend their time training and protecting the Amity project, Clover, Penny, Qrow and Ruby have a confrontation with Robyn who reveals Ironwood is repurposing materials for Mantle's outer wall without informing people. Then we get a scene with the Schneesters where Winter shows Weiss the Winter Maiden and reveals she was chosen by Ironwood to be next in line.

This makes Nora pretty testy and on their free day she, Ruby and Ren decide to go to Robyn's premature victory party where Ren and Nora first have a fight, which makes Ruby run off with Penny, then kiss just in time for Watts to tune off the lights and Tyrian to slaughter people to blame it on Penny. Watts uses the confusion to redistribute the votes cast for Robyn to Jacques, who he is working with

This makes Robyn and her Happy Huntresses go full on vigilante and they start robbing military transports for building materials and get the suppliers in Mantle to cut off deliveries to Ironwood

Nora hits a huge rage breaking point and goes off at Ironwood about how Mantle is suffering from his iron fist rule (queen) but he brushes her off as it being "for the greater good" and gives the order to have Robyn arrested

The Bees volunteer but decide to tell Robyn the truth about Amity instead

Jacques invites to dinner at the Schnee Manor to celebrate his victory and make Ironwood defend his actions to the council and literally the whole cast shows up, which is funny. Weiss goes to snoop, finds her mother in her father's office and Willow gives Weiss proof that Jacques was cooperating with Watts who meanwhile turns off the heating grid in Mantle. The unrest that causes draws in an entire horde of Grimm that, surprise surprise, finds the huge fucking hole in Mantle's wall and overrun the city

Weiss exposes her father and Watts, it's revealed that Jacques gave Watts his council access to the system (dumbass) and Watts used that to lock everyone out. With some prodding from Ruby and Oscar Ironwood decides to tell Robyn and the council the truth about Salem while everyone else goes off to fight in Mantle. Oscar and Ruby then decide to tell Ironwood what they learned from the Lamp, that Salem is immortal and presumably the rest.

Ironwood and Robyn then go live together to tell the people about Salem and the military begins evacuating Mantle with out protagonists. Clover gets a call and he and Qrow go to where Robyn is luring Tyrian to her and they kick his ass good.

Meanwhile Ironwood has lured Watts to Amity by revealing its purpose during the broadcast and by lying that it's finished. (It's curious that we don't see Robyn's lie detection Semblance when he does this so we don't know if she knew he was lying or not)

Ironwood defeats Watts but ends up skinning his left arm. When he comes back to his office he finds a black glass queen piece.

He calls the Ace Ops and kids back (JNR go to pick up Oscar at Atlas Academy tho) and shit goes real bad when he starts throwing Ruby's secrets and the Bees telling Robyn about Amity back in their faces and the negativity triggers the Seer Grimm on Watts' bag and Salem projects herself into the room to reveal that she's on her way and also apparently killed Summer Rose herself

Ironwood decides to use the Staff of Creation to lift Atlas into the atmosphere and remove the Relics from Salem's reach that way and reveals that he already sent Winter and Penny to get the powers of the Winter Maiden. Of course Team RWBY are against this. Ruby tries to warn everyone over scroll and gets as far as Salem coming and Ironwood abandoning Mantle before he shuts her off. So the present Ace Ops (Clover is still with Qrow, Robyn and Tyrian) stand in their way and it comes to battle

The girls fight the Ace Ops while Clover gets the message that the kids and Qrow have to be arrested on sight and, for some reason, decides to just go along with that despite what he just heard. Qrow is not happy but he's willing to cooperate but Robyn loses her temper and it comes to a scuffle during which Tyrian is freed, kills the pilot and makes the plane crash. Clover gets out in time (notably without even attempting to help Qrow or Robyn, for some reason). Robyn is knocked out cold and because Clover still insists on attesting him Qrow decides to fight him.

Team RWBY kick ass and defeat the Ace Ops, it's dope as shit. Penny's father and Maria arrive and Maria quips this is the part where the girls ask them for help.

Tyrian comes to, removes his last restraints and then, for some reason, he and Qrow join forces to fight Clover. Clover disarms Qrow, who decides to end the fight without hurting Clover and uses his fists to break Clover's Aura.

Tyrian uses the opportunity to stab Clover through the back with Harbinger. Clover dies, Qrow breaks apart. It's bullshit.

Cinder appears before the chamber of the Winter Maiden, Neo has meanwhile managed to get the Relic from Oscar and assumed his appearance but Oscar knocks her out of her disguise just in time and Team JNR get ready to fight her. She kicks their asses, but Oscar gets the Lamp back and they escape.

Except Neo takes on Nora's form, steals the Lamp back and gets away with it.

Oscar splits off to go confront Ironwood. He tells Ironwood that if he goes through with his plan he's just as dangerous as Salem and Ironwood shoots him off the ledge of the Vault. Ozpin comes back, awakens Oscar just in time to smash a whole through the bottom of the Vault and Oscar goes falling towards Mantle.

Cinder, Penny and Winter fight. Cinder knocks Winter's Aura out and her out of a building. Penny saves her. Cinder goes after Fria, and in her usual arrogant way decides to wake the old lady up before killing her.

Fria is like "bitch I don't think so" and unleashes the powers of a fully realizes Maiden that even Cinder can't stand against. Winter and Penny arrive again but Winter can't get through the cold air without getting frostbite so Penny goes instead.

She asks Fria if she's alright, and then cradles her as her life starts fading. Fria asks her if she's the next one and Penny hesitates to say no, looking back to Winter who she knows will go to open the Vault which Penny doesn't agree with.

Cinder shows up again, furious. She says Fria is hers but Winter interrupts her and cuts off her Grimm arm. Which grows back. Cinder then curb stomps Winter while Fria dies.

Penny becomes Winter Maiden.

Ruby and Weiss arrive to find Fria dead, Winter hurt, Penny with the powers and Cinder right there. Ruby's eyes active immediately and Cinder is so terrified she runs before the light can even get to her.

Winter calls for reinforcements but gives the girls a headstart at least.

Team RWBYJNR, Pietro, Maria and Penny escape in an airship. Qrow and Robyn are arrested, Qrow looks absolutely broken as he looks down at Clover's bloody clover pin and Robyn comforts him.

Winter tells Ironwood the powers are gone. Presumably she doesn't tell him who has them, at least we don't see it

Oscar asks Ozpin how they can save Atlas now.

Salem arrives with a massive Grimm army and a whale Grimm almost the size of Atlas.

The End.

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blancheludis · 5 years ago

Link

Tagging: @tokky231

Fandom: Marvel, Avengers Characters: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Bruce Barton, Steve Rogers Chapters: 5/?, Words: 31.049

Summary: Tony meets his soulmate under the worst possible circumstances. It is not just a kidnapping gone wrong. It turns out Steve and his gang picked him on purpose and they want some personal revenge. If only he had managed to say the words written on his soulmate’s arm before they threw him back out into the streets.

---

Steve does not know what to do. Normally, the way forward would be clear. Someone gave them information that Tony Stark himself is the reason Stark weaponry ends up in the wrong hands. Now, they have information indicating otherwise. They need to confirm which version is right, then deal with the problem accordingly. Like they do.

Feelings do not really filter in there anywhere, and Steve does not think of himself as an emotional person. They can rarely afford that.

Hearing his words had been – wonderful is not the right word. The situation they were in does not allow for it. The absolute feeling spreading through him, on the other hand, is nothing like Steve has ever experienced. It is as if he is just now feeling complete for the first time in his life.

Well, complete but already lacking an important part of him. He understands why. If he were Tony, he would have left too.

He is staring at the USB drive they took off Tony. It is supposed to contain weapon blueprints and engineering specs mostly, and they should have already delivered it to the buyer. Steve cannot help but think that it might also contain some of the information they need to decide whether his soulmate is one of the bad guys.

He does not want to know. At the same time, he needs to.

“Nat,” he calls as he grabs the drive and walks out of his room.

They mostly operate out of Washington, but they do have a base of operation in New York. This one is spacier, but considering that they are rarely here, it is unfamiliar, unused almost. That does not help with Steve feeling lost.

Natasha and Clint sit together at the kitchen table, one dark look away from turning this into a conspiratorial meeting. Those two always hold their own council, and it would not surprise him if they took off some day, never to be heard of again. Depending on how good a job he is doing until then, they might not even leave a knife in his back as a parting gift.

Steve is as sure as he can be that Natasha is on his side in this matter. She has grown up with violence and uses it readily as a tool whenever it is needed, but her violence always serves a purpose more than personal satisfaction. She did not stop Clint from beating up Tony, but Steve likes to think that she does not approve of it either.

Clint is more impulsive, making his decisions on a whim but then sticking to it. He has not shut up for a single minute since they snatched Tony off the street. It has all been angry rants and colourful insults. Steve trusts him, but Clint does not deal well with being wrong, holding onto his own concept of the truth until the bitter end. Steve will have to deal with that sooner or later. For now, Natasha will keep him in check.

“I need you to look into this,” Steve says and puts the USB drive on the table next to her. He keeps his finger on it, unwilling to let go of this last piece of Tony just yet.

It is ridiculous and he hates that his objectivity is clouded like this. At the same time, he craves the way his heartbeat picks up whenever he thinks of Tony. If he cannot trust his soulmate, can he trust anyone?

“I know you’re old-fashioned,” Clint drawls, leaning forward as if he is anticipating another fight, “but I’m sure even you can stick this into a computer and click on the folder that pops up.”

Thanks to years of practice, Steve ignores him easily but keeps looking at Natasha. Giving Clint the satisfaction of falling into another argument will not get them anywhere.

“It’ll be protected,” she says and makes no move to take it.

Next to her, Clint straightens further. “Stark must have a lot to hide.”

The phone they took off Tony was already useless by the time Steve dared to take a closer look to it. Bruce had taken it with him when he left them at the warehouse but gave it back later, once he felt he could stand to see Steve again without falling right back into a rage. All the data appeared to be deleted. When Steve called the number anyway, riding on a last sliver of hope, Tony had picked up, clearly having dealt with the matter already. There have to be advantages to building a phone for himself.

The short exchange had meant a lot. Hearing Tony’s voice, no matter how angry, had made warmth spread through Steve’s chest that seems to linger still. It does not exactly chase away the memory of the sheer betrayal on Tony’s face outside of the warehouse when he said Steve’s words, but it gives Steve hope that this is something they can overcome. They are fated to be, after all.

People make mistakes. This was a big one, but he stopped Clint and Bucky from doing further damage. He stopped going down this road when Tony told him he is not responsible for those weapon deals. He is ready to make amends. The first step of that has to be ensuring Tony’s safety.

“Will you do it?” Steve questions quietly. If she refuses, he will have to ask Pietro, who is not bad but usually too impatient to do a good job.

“Of course,” Natasha huffs and pulls the drive right out from under Steve’s finger, pocketing it with the kind of business-like carelessness that has Steve itching to take it back from her.

“We’ll have to prove somehow that you’ve lost your mind,” Clint mutters but looks Steve straight in the eye.

Steve could argue, he wants to. He realizes that a lot of what he is feeling is due to the soul bond, though. This was not love on first sight. There is no rationality involved. He could be wrong about Tony, so he is not going to endanger the trust of his men by fighting for something he is not absolutely sure about. Natasha will find out what is on the USB drive and go after any leads she finds. She is good at what she does.

“Thank you,” Steve intones firmly, adding a glare at Clint, who does not back down in the least.

Considering that matter dealt with, Steve strides out, intent to find his best friend. Bucky has been quieter than usual. This whole business with Stark Industries had not sat right with him from the very beginning. Now that brief taste of vengeance has turned bitter on his tongue too. If it turns out that Tony is really not responsible, Steve can imagine that Bucky’s guilt will be even greater than his own. Bucky is not the type for outright vengeance, and likes being turned into another’s tool even less.

Someone obviously has it out for Tony. No matter the expected protest, Steve might just make it their next job to find out who that is and deal with them accordingly.

He finds Bucky in his room, sitting on the bed and looking at something only he can see. His hands are in his lap and he cradles the bruised knuckles of his right hand with his prosthesis. Misery is written across his face, a more visceral kind than the one Steve carries inside him.

“Are you all right?” Bucky asks when Steve hovers in the doorway, unsure whether he is welcome to enter. Life was easier when they were children. They could afford to be careless back then, did not have to navigate topics neither of them really wants to talk about.

The sudden intensity of Bucky’s eyes on him, has Steve feeling worse. “I think I should be the one asking you that,” he counters, registering the dark rings under Bucky’s eyes. Neither of them has slept well for the past days, probably not even Clint, even though he would never admit that.

“I’m not the one who found his soulmate in the middle of a job,” Bucky replies without missing a beat as if he has waited for an opportunity to bring up this topic. “Hell, I didn’t find out my soulmate was the job.”

True enough, Steve has blocked all of his friends’ attempts to talk about this with him. Once he had regained his senses after Bruce’s act of insubordination, letting Tony go before they were done dealing with the matter, Steve had cut them all out, barking orders to not follow after Tony but to work on finding their employer instead, and disappeared out into the night to go running until his lungs burned hard enough to make him think his childhood asthma was back.

Morning was dawning by the time he returned and, Bruce’s warning notwithstanding, he went back to their base to lock himself in his room. Staying inside the shower forever, in the hopes of washing his conflicting feelings away, sounded never more appealing. Bruce had knocked at his door at some point, probably to make sure he was not doing anything stupid, and Bucky had brought him some food later, but Steve sent them all away.

Even now, he has not managed to regain any kind of inner peace again. It has never been a problem before, separating work and personal matters. They make a habit of going against the people who deserve it, who do wrong without fearing repercussions. Steve never had to feel bad about taking any of those men down.

As Steve sits down on the bed, a small sigh escapes him, weary in a way he usually does not like to show. “I’m dealing with it.”

“You aren’t,” Bucky says dryly, seeing right through Steve’s lie. Expression crumbling, he asks, “What if Stark told the truth? What if he –”

“Don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened,” Steve cuts Bucky off. Nothing is as effective in dragging him out of his misery as Bucky needing his help. A lot of things went wrong with this job, but none of that has been Bucky’s fault.

Looking up, Bucky is obviously of a different opinion. His eyes are dark and they weigh heavily on Steve. “He was on the ground,” he says tonelessly, “and I just kept kicking him.”

The reminder is definitely not needed. Every time Steve closes his eyes, he sees the ruined mess of Tony’s face after they were through with him, remembers the careful way he moved. Broken ribs, Bruce had reported later, and dozens of bruises, possible internal damage too.

“And I let you do it,” Steve answers, letting the new wave of guilt wash over him. Why could they not have run into each other on the street like other couples do? Why does life always have to make things complicated for Steve?

Bucky chuckles dryly. “You fancy yourself our leader, but you’re not responsible for what we do.” He shrugs, conveying so much helplessness that Steve wants to reach out and shield his best friend from further harm. “This is not who I want to be.”

“And you aren’t,” Steve says, putting all the conviction he can muster into these words. “I promise you, you aren’t”

For a brief moment, Steve wishes their information was right, that Tony is the one they are looking for. He hates himself immediately for the thought, but he does not want Bucky to feel miserable about something they cannot change anymore. They have been through a lot together, through everything important in their lives. Despite the way he is feeling right now, alive and full of longing and warm in places that were hollow for so long, Steve knows he would choose Bucky even over his own soulmate.

He shakes his head. These are thoughts he will leave for another day. If he gets lucky, there will not be any need to choose. He will just have to keep working to prove that.

---

When all the lights go out without warning, Steve knows it is Tony’s doing even before he hears Natasha’s cursing and rushes off to find her in front of a computer, glaring at the screen.

He remembers Natasha’s warning about what Tony can do with his hands, and the sharpness beneath Tony’s offended glare when Steve bound his hands again. He seemed to regard the rope as a mere inconvenience, not an actual hindrance. Considering that, they are probably lucky that Bruce let Tony go before Tony could turn his genius against them.

“Well,” Steve says as he is helplessly looking at whatever Natasha is doing on the computer. It still has power, even while the lights are out. “You knew Tony would have protected that thing.”

Without looking up, Natasha hisses, “Get out, Steve. You don’t understand anything about this.”

Steve would never pretend to. His friends would not believe him anyway. He likes to think his expertise lies elsewhere and lets other people deal with the wonders of modern technology.

“I’m sure you’ll –”

“I can’t talk to you right now,” Natasha cuts him off entirely unapologetic. “I need to make sure that Stark didn’t leave any other traps or even a backdoor into our system.”

Knowing when to back off, Steve walks off to the kitchen, which is close enough for him to be in hearing range should Natasha need him after all – no matter that he would not be of much help unless she needed someone to smash the computer. She would definitely be capable of that herself, although she usually shows more restraint.

They have a bigger problem than Tony playing havoc with their systems, though. If he is talented enough to booby-trap one USB drive enough to manipulate the electronics in their base, how can they ever trust a piece of electronic evidence concerning him? Surely, Tony knows how to tamper with that too. Life has just gotten a lot more complicated.

Despite himself, he is also hopeful. If there is a backdoor, whatever that means, they have a connection to Tony. In his understanding, doors work both ways. Still, he decides not to mention this thought until Natasha has emerged from her invisible battle with Tony’s USB drive. He does not want to be skewered by a thrown pair of scissors or whatever else she has in her immediate vicinity.

“What happened?” Bruce comes into the room, looking the kind of irritated that means he was interrupted while he was working. “Why did the lights go out?”

“Natasha tried to open Tony’s USB drive,” Steve offers helplessly. That is hardly an explanation the way he sees it, but it is the best he can do.

Bruce, on the other hand, nods as if that makes sense and sets off again. He stops shortly before he is out of the door. “Is it just the lights?”

Shrugging, Steve tries to listen for the familiar noises of the fridge. He is not equipped to deal with things like this.

“Find out whether the coffee machine works,” Bruce orders, “And then keep us supplied.”

Steve does not dare to ask more about the matter or to protest. He knows to stay out of Bruce’s way when he looks like this, ready to throw himself into work, to tackle a problem and not come up for air until he has found a solution.

For over two hours, he migrates from the kitchen to their office and back, balancing cups with fresh coffee while he walks as quietly as possible. He listens to Bruce and Natasha talk in clipped sentences and does not understand a word of it.

“That’s it,” Bruce says, an eternity later, ripping Steve out of his thoughts, “We’re done.”

Instantly alert, Steve walks over to them and looks at the screens. To him, nothing is any different, apart from the fact that the lights are on again. “So, no damage done?” he asks.

“I can’t be completely sure,” Natasha answers, frowning at the screen, “but I can’t find anything. He’s good, but not that good.”

Next to her, Bruce stays suspiciously silent. His face is carefully neutral. There is no reason to suspect he knows more than Natasha, but he has been pouring over Tony’s published papers again since they bodged up the job, so he might just have more insight into Tony’s capabilities than anyone else. Steve does not push him, though, not with how fragile Bruce’s hold on his temper is at the moment, especially when it comes to Steve.

“Just – keep a lookout.” He knows this was the wrong thing to say even before the words are completely over his lips.

“No, Steve,” Natasha drawls, glaring at him with the kind of heat that makes him duck his head. “I was going to ignore the fact that simply putting Stark’s USB drive into our computer caused a partial blackout.”

Keeping his expression apologetic, Steve nods. “That’s fair. All right,” he adds, ready to make his escape. “I’ll leave you to it.”

When Natasha speaks up again, her voice is gentler. “I’ll look through the data I could save and tell you what I find.”

The data, of course. That is the very thing they targeted Tony for in the first place, before personal feelings took over, and Steve has almost forgotten about it over the short drama. He is curious. More than that. It is a glimpse at Tony and his work that he will likely not get otherwise. The drive could be full of weapon designs and perhaps even evidence for the dealing, but Steve pins all his hopes on there being more, something good about his soulmate.

Steve is going to have a look at the data himself at some point, but he is happy to let Natasha sort through it first. She is going to be more professional about it. To himself, Steve can admit that he also does not want to be disappointed by what they will find.

Right now, he needs to get out of here, away from his team’s lingering judgement and his own doubts. New York has always had something soothing with its mass of people constantly moving somewhere. Out here, time almost seems to stand still even while it is obvious how relentlessly it ticks forwards.

Steve walks and walks. He does not have a destination in mind and just wants to clear his head a little. In the end, though, he is not surprised by where he arrives. He could blame it on the tower being the tallest building in New York. Inside the safety of his own mind, though, he can admit that he is drawn here by the metaphorical compass lurking underneath the skin of his arm. Fate is relentless like that.

---

Progress is made slowly. So slowly that it feels like Tony is not getting anywhere at all. They do not yet have found any evidence or even substantial clue who is selling Tony’s weapons. Instead, they now know that one of Stark Industries’ board members has a gambling habit, and another is versed in tax evasion.

Some irregularities have been brought to light, and Pepper is doing the best she can, but the need to go to work and abandon all subtlety is growing with every day. Tony has always been impatient where it comes to his own mistakes.

He is distracting himself the best he can. Between too much sleep and mostly regular meals – courtesy of the combined efforts of Rhodey, Pepper and JARVIS – he also goes through all the data he can get his hands on without outright hacking his own company. In between that, he builds.

“Sir,” JARVIS speaks up, causing Tony to immediately abandon his work. He is constantly waiting for news. “Mr. Rogers is standing outside the tower.”

This is so far from what he expected – and hoped – to hear that the words do not even register with Tony at first. Instead of having found his lost weapons or whoever is trying to get rid of him, he just gets more problems heaped onto him.

“He is what?”

A video feed comes up on the screen nearest to him, showing the unmistakeable form of Steve Rogers lurking on the other side of the street. He is wearing normal clothes now, a bit outdated but formfitting. His face is clearly recognizable in the midday sun. His arm, Tony hates to notice, is covered, but Tony imagines it burns as much as his own.

It feels like Tony’s insides are being pulled towards his soulmate, like meeting him has left him with a hook sticking in his gut.

He is torn. On one hand, he is furious. How dare Steve come here, basically laying siege to Tony’s home? On the other hand, this gives Tony an opportunity to watch him. The video feed does not have the highest resolution but Tony’s mind fills out everything he cannot see clearly.

In the light of day, Steve appears both taller and not as intimidating. He is human, just like that. The sun makes his hair glow like a halo around his head. If he were smiling, he would look downright beautiful. As it is, he appears worried, staring up the tower as if he contemplates to either scale it or to burn it to the ground. Tony is not sure how he factors into that or whether he truly wants to find out.

“He has been standing there for approximately ten minutes,” JARVIS says when Tony does not do anything but look at the screen.

His soulmate has been this close to him for ten minutes. He tries to think back whether he has felt any differently during this time, whether the bond has announced Steve’s relative proximity.

Clearing his throat, Tony tries to regain control over his thoughts. “Why haven’t you said anything earlier?”

“He made no attempt to enter,” JARVIS answers dutifully. Something in his tone promises that this would not have ended well for Steve.

“What about his goons?” Tony asks, looking at the people moving around Steve. “Are they around too?”

Without being able to give a reason why, he does not think so. The way Steve just stands there, he looks lost, not like he is on a mission. In a way, that makes his presence worse because it means he is here for Tony. Not to finish the job, not for the missing weapons, not to get more information. He is searching for something, perhaps the same thing Tony is. Inner peace, a solution to this mess, a way to satisfy the bond without giving into it.

“No one else appears to accompany him,” JARVIS says.

The thing is, with former spies on the team, the Avengers surely know how to stay hidden from cameras, especially if JARVIS sticks to only the tower’s security surveillance instead of hacking into the city’s. No matter what his eyes tell Tony, he can never be sure that it is the truth.

“So he’s just standing there?” Tony mutters mostly to himself, hating that his entire life is not making sense anymore. “Call him.”

The order is over his lips before he is entirely sure what he is doing. Surely, talking to Steve will not make his inner turmoil any easier to deal with.

“Sir?” JARVIS asks, obviously thinking this is a bad idea. Paradoxically, that only helps Tony to make up his mind.

“You heard me right,” he says, ruthlessly pushing down his own doubts. “Let’s get this over with.”

When the dial tone rings in the air of the penthouse, Tony watches on the screen how Steve flinches, caught off guard perhaps by the ringing of his phone. For a moment, it looks like he will not get it out, unwilling to talk to anyone. The part of Tony that is not relieved at that thought is irrationally irritated at the prospect of being ignored.

Steve then gets his phone out, after all, and, after realizing that it is Tony who is calling, hurries to accept the call so much that he almost lets the phone fall.

“Tony.” Steve’s voice fills the penthouse. It is at once warm and frantic, shaping Tony’s name like it is something precious but foreign. “I was worried about you.”

“Why?” Tony snaps, bristling at Steve’s daring. “I haven’t been kidnapped since I left your tender care. Curious how that works.”

Steve looks stricken, but Tony will not fall for him that easily. Not again. Regret and an actual desire to do better in the future are not the same thing.

“You know that I could have you arrested very easily right now,” Tony adds before Steve has a chance to say anything.

It would be easy. The tower’s security guards are mere feet away from Steve. One call from Tony and they would be on the move. He tells himself it would not be smart to do so. He might be able to talk to Steve in much safer surroundings than last time, but it would turn the rest of the Avengers into a wild card. Without their leader holding them back, there is no telling what they would do, whether they would come after Tony again.

“But you won’t do that,” Steve says, right in time to shatter Tony’s conviction to go about this strategically.

Steve is not as cocky as he has been in the warehouse, but he still sounds convinced that he does not have anything to fear from Tony, that they can just ignore what happened.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t,” Tony barks, despite not being interested in reasons. In a way, he regrets not having set Rhodey on the Avengers. Then, at least, he would not have to deal with this.

On the screen, right beneath the camera feed, JARVIS writes, Initiate countermeasures?

An involuntary smile flickers over Tony’s face. The AI has turned out far more efficient than Tony had thought possible, and far more loyal than he could have hoped for. All these years he spent trying to build himself a friend under the guise of a lab assistant. He could not have invested that time any better way.

With some hesitation, Tony shakes his head no, knowing JARVIS will understand. He regrets that only moments later when Steve opens his mouth again.

“We’re soulmates.”

Steve’s eyes fall on the nearest security camera as if he knows it is there. That means, on the screen, he is looking directly at Tony. In response, Tony shivers, but not all of that is because he is uncomfortable.

There is no forgetting the fact that they are bonded. It has only been days, and Tony still hopes that the force of the soul bond will fade with time. For now, every step he takes seems to want to drag him closer to Steve. Every thought has an aftertaste that reminds him of that warehouse and that first time their eyes met.

Nothing romantic can be found in that, nothing desirable. Yet, logic has barely a chance to touch the matter.

“That doesn’t mean anything, as you’ve clearly already proven,” Tony argues nonetheless, with all the harshness he can muster.

He is feeling much better by now. The swelling around his eye has gone down, allowing him to see more clearly again. His head still hurts and he has taped his ribs to make it easier for him to move. His skin is still miscoloured and he still does not sleep well. He is better, though. Or on his way there.

It helps that he is at home where he has DUM-E and JARVIS making life easy for him, and Pepper who has meals delivered and shows up several times a day despite her busy schedule to make sure he takes care of himself.

Steve’s eyes leave the camera and wander up the tower again, perhaps trying to find Tony from down there. “I didn’t –”

“Know, yes,” Tony cuts him off impatiently. “You said that. We know now, although I wish we didn’t.” He does not blame Steve for allowing him to be beat up because they are soulmates, but because he is a human being. Who they are – and especially who they are to each other – has no impact on the fact that what the Avengers did was wrong. “Now leave.”

Tony is not surprised when Steve does not show any sign of heeding Tony’s order. His shoulders are squared in a way that shows easily he is not leaving before he has said his part.

“We still need to find out who sent us after you,” Steve says. The fact that the we is rolling so naturally off his lips tears at Tony.

“One might think that you’d take better care with who you take money from,” Tony sneers.

He thinks there is not so much difference between them. They both do not have their business under control enough to know everything that is happening. Someone is putting Tony’s weapons into the wrong hands, and – perhaps the same – someone caused the Avengers’ fists to lay into the wrong person. Tony knows better than to mention that. No matter his anger and justification, Steve is still a dangerous enemy to have.

“It’s not that simple,” Steve argues, taking a deep breath as if he has a whole speech prepared.

“It doesn’t matter,” Tony cuts him off, feeling his headache getting worse again. “We’re done.”

Tony watches as Steve takes an abrupt step forward. It happens hundreds of feet beneath him, and yet he finds himself stiffening, and is irritated with himself for that reaction.

“We’re not done,” Steve says with the unshakeable conviction of someone who is not used to being defied. It is too bad for him that Tony has never reacted well to being ordered around.

“Listen, Rogers,” Tony snaps, surprising himself with the growl in his voice. He emphasizes Steve’s surname, making it clear that he is not completely blind anymore but has researched them as best as he could. “I don’t know whether you think we’ve come to some sort of understanding to let bygones be bygones upon finding out we’re soulmates, but I clearly was in no state of mind to make any major decision.” He still is not, if he is honest with himself, but he is practised in rationalizing. “Also, everything I said was under threat of further bodily harm. I wouldn’t even need a lawyer to argue that case.”

Tony is pretty sure there will never be a case. This is a matter best dealt with quietly. It would not do any good to advertise the fact that he has a soulmate like this or how they broke apart before they could ever get together.

“I know that you’re upset right now,” Steve says with some reluctance but otherwise still adamant that he knows the best way forward, “but we can still help each other.”

A laugh breaks over Tony’s lips, contorted into something ugly by the sheer incredulity he feels. Upset is not the word he would have used. If he were merely upset, they could solve this with a clear-cut discussion.

He is devastated, thrown by the way his life has been completely upended over the course of one particularly unfortunate night.

“I’d say have a good life, but frankly I don’t care,” he scoffs, wishing Steve could feel the weight of his glare. “Don’t call me again. And stop lurking about outside my home or I will have you arrested.”

Tony has JARVIS end the call with a sharp gesture. His eyes are still fixed on the screen, unable to turn away just yet. This is how he sees the frown appearing on Steve’s face, the displeasure pulling his lips down. He keeps the phone up, talks into it as if Tony is going to answer after all. In a way, he looks frustrated more than angry, but Tony has no desire to decipher that, does not want to know what that means for them.

With some effort, Tony turns away from the screen and orders JARVIS, “Tell me the moment he or any of his little friends come back.”

“Noted, sir,” JARVIS answers. “Colonel Rhodes has also requested again that I send him all the information I have about the Avengers.”

Tony stops short, squinting suspiciously at the nearest camera. He trusts JARVIS not to go against his orders if they are not in a definite life-or-death situation. Rhodey can be persistent, though, and he might just persuade JARVIS to bend the rules a bit if not outright break them.

“You did not give him that name, yes?” he asks. Curiously enough, he is prepared to call Steve back right away and – warn him? Between Rhodey and Steve, Tony knows exactly who is on his side. He had better keep the situation from escalating to the point where he needs to make any decisions like that.

“No, I did not,” JARVIS says, sounding like he very much wants to, though.

“Good,” Tony nods, although he does not feel satisfied with this solution at all. “Keep it that way.”

He cannot solve all of his messes at once. If he is honest with himself, he is glad to push Steve down to the very end of his list. The problems he always liked the least to deal with involved emotions.

#stony #marvel #soulmates #mob au #mob boss steve #leave the gun on the table #tony stark #steve rogers #steve is an idiot #tony needs a break #he won't get one #i apologise for the horribly inadequate description of what tech can and can't do #i'm just a clueless doctor though #i don't do tech #ao3 #my writing #fanfiction

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marvel-medigeek-fics · 6 years ago

Text

The H Word: Human

Part 4/?

Warnings: violence, angst, anxiety, language, PTSD mentions, blood

TW: anxiety attack(?)

Summary: The aftermath of giving a friend a bloody nose does not help the recurring symptoms of PTSD.

If you are struggling with the things mentioned or alluded to in this chapter, reach out to some you trust and find some way to get help. You don’t deserve to suffer, especially alone.

Word Count: 1836

After breaking Nat’s nose, or at least starting the waterworks of blood, you retreated to your room, bawling like a helpless baby. It was not a nice feeling to feel so out of control, yet so controlled by feelings, so strong, yet so weak.

Once you settled yourself onto your bed, it was hard to force yourself to even shift to a better position to mope. Everything was so fucking hopeless. So fucking hopeless. So fucking hopeless. So fucking helpless. So fucking helpless. So fucking hopeless. So fucking hopeless.

A knock startled you out of this endless mantra. “It’s Sam. Open up.” You knew he couldn’t get in, because you locked the door and jammed a chair under the door. You could hear him wriggle the knob, but it seemed like a mile to the door and another to open it.

“Come on, Y/N, open up.” The sound just sounded like static. More static. Was this a common thing? Static in the head. Did she get knocked out and this was just a hallucination? Concussions can cause hallucinations. So can psychological trauma. But trauma can cause anything, from internal bleeding to ingrown toenails. Including punching your best friend because you can’t control your fists.

Hopeless. So hopeless. So fucking hopeless. So fucking hopeless. Fucking hopeless. So hopeless. Hopeless. Hopeless. Helpless. Hopeless. Helpless. Hopeless. Helpless. Helpless. Hopeless. So fucking hopeless. Hopeless. Hopeless. It was almost like the words would choke you if you didn’t keep repeating them. Hopeless Helpless. Hopeless. Helpless. Hopeless. Helpless. So. Fucking. Hopeless. So Fucking— You didn’t realize Sam had broken down the door until he was cradling you like a baby. A fucking hopeless baby. Your other brain wanted to throw him off your bed and out of your life. But your brain, your real brain wanted to accept the gesture.

You had no idea how long you sat there, your other brain droning on until it became uncomfortable buzzing at worst. “Are you okay?” Sam asked, “You were shaking like a baby bird just learning how to fly.”

“Mostly peachy.” You said sitting up and hugging one knee to your chest. “How’s Nat?” It isn’t easy to go on after your brain decides to shut everything out, but you’d read once that going on like everything was normal would help. It wasn’t really, but it was distracting. Maybe that was what it had meant by help.

“You only broke her ego, if that’s what your asking. Her nose stopped bleeding in 5 minutes. She says she wants to talk to you as soon as Banner will clear her to take the wad of gauze out of her nose.”

You merely nodded, still jumpy about your reflexes and their breach of your control. “I think music will help. As it does. I’ll start with a song.” Sam said, scrolling through his phone for the song you had a strong feeling he was going to pick.

The opening chords of September wafted out from his crappy phone speaker. “I thought you were going to pick a Marvin Gaye song.” you teased.

“I’m full of surprises lately aren’t I?”

“No, Sam Wilson, you are the worst at surprises.”

“No, I’m definitely not the worst.”

“Then who is?”

He shrugged and started dancing to the peppy beat of the song. “Come on, dance, Y/N!”

Dancing had never been your thing and it sounded dorky, but you just wanted a nap and some chicken nuggets. So you curled up under the covers, extremely tired from the events of the day and also very emotionally drained from days of crying, but not really releasing anything.

—

Sam stayed in your room for a while but finally left once he realized you were dead asleep. His next stop was the little intern who he had assigned to track that son a bitch that had did this, the whole losing control, hidieholing away.

The intern had gotten no nice leads, except for the fact that he worked in a very high-security building. But security wouldn’t stop sam from avenging his girl.

—

It was very late when you finally got out of bed. You were starving. So starving you didn’t even notice Nat supping her coffee until you say down with a peanut butter sandwich in hand.

“Hello, Y/N.” She said calmly.

“Hey, Nat. How you doing?”

“Ego’s a bit bruised, but I’m alright. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“To what?”

“To punch someone. You couldn’t even kill the wasp that stung you last week.”

“One, not the same thing. Two, I was kind of dying. I’m allergic to wasps remember?”

“I remember.”

“That wasn’t really me, anyway.”

“I know. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I suppose I should.”

“You don’t have to if you aren’t ready to.”

“I know.”

“Even if you won’t agree to talk, I do want to keep training with you.”

“Why me? I’m just a tactician. ”

“That’s exactly why.”

You rolled your eyes in reply.

“Besides, Wanda is with vision, Sam is a sore loser and Steve and Bucky are too busy working out in other ways.”

“What about Pietro, or Tony?”

“Pietro is terrible to fight andTony’s always distracted.”

“Tomorrow.“

“All right.”

You sat there in not talking until you finished your sandwich and Natasha drank her coffee.

“You know, Bucky’s experienced in that type of stuff. Maybe you could talk to him.” Nat broke the silence.

“Experienced in what type of stuff?” You asked, knowing full well what she was talking about.

“PTSD.”

“I don’t have PTSD.”

Nat raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

“I’m serious. I don’t.”

“Are you just saying that because you want me to drop it?”

“Maybe.”

“I’ll tell him to come by after our training session. 9 am right?”

You nodded, knowing she wouldn’t let it go and Bucky would drop by no matter what you said.

—-

The next morning, you dragged yourself out of bed to go train with Nat. You downed a cup of coffee with extra sugar and then headed down to the training room.

The training room was full, just missing Clint and Pietro. Which was kind of relief but you couldn’t quite place why. Bucky and Steve were racing each other on the treadmills. Sam was using a virtual reality machine to work on agility. Wanda and Vision were throwing things at each other to work on their manipulation skills.

“Welcome to having your ass handed to you, Y/N,” Nat said when you made your way to the ring.

You merely made a noncommital grunting sound and sat down on the floor and began stretching.

“Today, we’re focusing on blocking. I noticed last time you aren’t the best at blocking. And by the best, I mean, you blocked one of my punches.”

“And? One is better than none.”

“True, but I threw 6.”

It was a long few hours of Nat throwing punches, some easy and some hard, for you to block. You managed to dodge most of them, but that was not the object of the session. Once, you caught her fist and wrenched it away, but it was the vaguest of reminders of someone else’s hands coming for you. You wouldn’t touch her after that, because it felt too much like losing control. Blood dries, but bones don’t heal as quickly.

“Come on, Y/N, just block another of my punches. Come on, please.”

After the third time, she asked, enough was enough. “No! I’m done. I can’t deal with the possibility of breaking you again. I couldn’t do that to someone else.” You voice began to break as Nat looked at you in shock.

“Come on, Y/N. It’s not like that.”

“It might as well be!! It’s all the same!! I’m learning how to defend myself, because, what, I couldn’t do it on the worst night of my life? What good is that going to do me now? A broken shell of a badass tactician, that’s who I am now! And how am I supposed to repair myself, when not all of the pieces are here?”

You began to bawl, again, so powerless to stop the emotions that had no business in the training room.

—-

Sam was lost in his virtual reality, mostly to work on agility, but also to find himself in a world that was not filled with fucked up people and power agendas. But then he heard someone yelling. Fuck.

By the time he got his headset off, you had bolted from the room and the rest of the Avengers were clustered like pigs. Crude reference, but no one said Sam was the linguist of the team.

“Is she okay?” Steve asked, knowing the answer, but breaking the obvious confusion in the room.

“I’ll go talk to her.” Bucky volunteered.

“I’ll come too.” Sam agreed with Steve’s and now his friend.

—-

Bucky and Sam were not the best at finding people who did not want to be found. It was almost 10 minutes before they found you under the stairwell three floors down.

“Hey,” Sam began softly, kneeling down to your level like he would an injured bird.

“Go away,” came the disgruntled reply.

“Not gonna happen,” Bucky piped up, provoking a reaction from you.

“Bucky.”

“Y/N.”

“Go away,” you replied, after a brief pause.

“Like he said, not gonna happen.” Sam reiterated.

“You’ll get tired eventually,” you replied sullenly.

“We have lots of patience, tacty. Well, he doesn’t, but he’s going to get some.” Bucky took over, pointing his last praise at Sam bitingly.

“I have lots of patience. I’m a damn bird whisperer.” Sam bit back.

“Back to the task at hand, bird whisperer.” Bucky turned back to you, “I bet that stairwell is mighty uncomfortable, how about we find a more spacious place to talk, hmm?”

You didn’t speak, because moving sounded like an effort, you couldn’t even think about exporting. But with a held out hand from Sam, who you still trusted, and the unwavering peace of Bucky, who you also still trusted, you finally emerged from the stairwell.

“Do you drink coffee?” Bucky asked when you had finally made it to one of the conference rooms that didn’t have floor to ceiling windows.

You didn’t usually, but this seemed like a good time to have a class.

You nodded at him, calmly taking your place at the table. Sam dropped into the seat beside you. “Do you want anyone else in here while we talk? A lawyer, maybe?” He sounded hopeful at the last part, but you shook your head, not yet, you said silently. He nodded understandingly, or at least feigning understanding.

Bucky sat the mug to your right and Sam’s to his left and then took his seat at the other end of the table. It was something right out of a movie, but movies don��t usually show all the pain that comes with having a round table discussion. Therapy session. Legal statement. Whatever. But this is definitely no movie.

Taglist: @leenat23

#avengers #avengers fanfiction #sam wilson x reader #marvel fanfiction #fanfiction #sam wilson #marvel #mmgfics

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minimin1993 · 5 years ago

Text

B/L 22

Warning: Violence.

By the time Steve, Linda, Wanda, and Pietro came into the lab they saw Tony and Bruce working on the cradle.

“I'm gonna say this once.” Steve said.

“How about "nonce"?” Tony rebutted

“Shut it down!”

“Nope, not gonna happen.”

“You don't know what you're doing.” Steve said.

“And you do? She's not in your head?” Bruce asked pointing at Wanda

“I know you're angry.” Wanda said.

“Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade.”

“Banner, after everything that's happened…” Steve was trying to say talk but Tony interrupted.

“That's nothing compared to what's coming!”

“You don't know what's in there!”

“This isn't a game…”

“The creature...!”

“Pietro can you please do the honor on wrecking this place up.” Linda transmitted into Pietro mind causing him to look at her surprised before dashing around destroying the lab equipment.

“No, no. Go on. You were saying?” Pietro said looking at them suddenly Barton shoots a bullet below caused the glass Pietro is standing to stand to smash and he falls through.

“Pietro!” Wanda said

“What? You didn't see that coming?” Clint said standing above Pietro before beeping starts to go off.

“I am rerouting the upload.” Tony said turning around about to fix it but Steve tosses his Shield causing more damage before Tony blasts Steve back.

“Steve!” Linda screamed whipping Tony but he got his suit on in time deflecting it before blasting Linda knocking her down. Wanda was about to use her powers when Bruce puts her in a choke hold. “Go ahead, piss me off.”

Steve jumps up and runs at Tony about to hit him when Tony blasts him again causing both to start flying away from each other when Thor comes in out of nowhere and summons electricity into his hammer “Wait!” Bruce yells as Thor sends the electricity into the cradle. There was a moment of silent as everyone watches before the cradle blasts open out come a creature like human robot to stand before them looking at everyone before flying toward Thor who pushes him to the side sending him flying. He stops at the edge of the window staring outside in silent, Linda and Steve jumps over at him but Thor puts his hand out to stop them before it came flying back over.

“I'm sorry, that was...odd. Thank you.” ‘Vision’ said to Thor materializing clothes and a cape on itself.

“Thor, you helped create this?” Steve asked in disbelief.

“I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at it's center is that.” Thor said pointing to the gem on its head.

“What, the gem?”

“It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” Linda said in realization as Thor nods.

“Then why would you bring it to…” Steve said Thor

“Because Stark is right.”

“Oh, it's definitely the end times.”

“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron.”

“Not alone.” ‘Vision’ said.

“Why does your "vision" sound like JARVIS?” Steve asks

“We...we reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new.” Tony said

“I think I've had my fill of new.”

“You think I'm a child of Ultron?”

“You're not?”

“I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am...I am.” ‘Vision’ said.

“I looked in your head and saw annihilation.” Wanda said.

“Look again.”

“Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.” Clint said.

“Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side…

“Is it? Are you? On our side?” Steve asked looking at ‘Vision’

“I don't think it's that simple.”

“Well it better get real simple real soon.” Clint said.

“I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all.”

“What's he waiting for?” Tony asks

“You.”

“Where?”

“Sokovia. He's got Nat there too.” Clint said.

“If we're wrong about you, if you're the monster that Ultron made you to be…”

“What will you do?” ‘Vision’ asked looking at Bruce before looking at everyone else. “I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.” ‘Vision’ said holding up Thor hammer and hands it to him making Linda hold back a snicker before ‘Vision’ walks off.

“Right.” Thor said a bit embarrassed patting Tony on the shoulder. “Well done.”

“Three minutes. Get what you need.” Steve said before he and Linda walks off.

“I know you can lift the hammer too.” Linda said quietly to Steve.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirks at her.

“Steve you are a terrible liar.” Linda said winking at him before turning into her vault of weapons putting on the new suit Tony designed specifically for her.

“No way we all get through this. If even one tin soldier is left standing, we've lost. It's gonna be blood on the floor.” Tony said

“I got no plans tomorrow night.” Steve said waiting for Linda

“I get first crack at the big guy. Iron Man's the one he's waiting for.”

“That's true, he hates you the most.” ‘Vision’ said as he walks by making Linda laugh walking out.

“Oh Tony, he is all yours. I tried once and he knocked me on my ass multiple times. I am good.” Linda said strapping on her weapons walking onto the quinjet.

“Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out.” Steve gave his speech as they flew to Sokovia.

“We're under attack! Clear the city, now!” Pietro said speeding into the police station but no one takes this seriously so Pietro returns, takes a shotgun and starts shooting in the air. “Get off your asses.” Wanda and Linda uses their mind powers to transmit thoughts on the people of Sokovia to get them to evacuate.

“All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right.” Steve said before the battle begins.

“Wow, I have never transmitted into that many people's heads before.” Linda said excitedly from the blast of energy Thor had given her when they got off the quinjet.

“You got this Linda.” Steve said smirking at her before running around to evacuate people. All of a sudden rogue Legionnaires starts to climb come out of the ground, water, everywhere flying into the sky shooting at people.

“Get off the bridge.” Linda hear Wanda say putting up a force field shield to protect them from the blast but gets knocked down. Linda runs over to her cracking her whip at the Legionnaires.

“You got this, come on,” Linda said winking helping her up before running off destroying more of the robots. As they were fighting the robots the ground starts to shake flying into the air

“Friday?” They hear Tony asks through the com.

“Sokovia is going for a ride.”

“Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.” Ultron said to the Avengers.

“Cap, you got incoming.” Tony said

“Incoming already came in. Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed, walk it off.”

“Easy said than done. Thor I might need a high power jolt from you right about now.” Linda/Luna said whipping the robots one by one before Thor appears next to her with a smirk jolting her with a bolt that sends her off the roof with energy. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Thor said flying off.

“Alright, we're all clear here.” Clint said

“We are not clear! We are very not clear!” Steve said straining to fight

“Alright, coming to you.” Clint said.

Linda flies into the air toward Steve before slamming her fist into the ground absorbing all the robots energy near them dropping them all instantly. “You can’t tell me your getting tired now right.” Linda said helping Steve up.

“Shut up…” Steve said playfully before throwing his shield to protect Natasha. “Romanoff.”

“Thanks.” She answered as he runs over to her.

“ The anti-gravs are rigged to flip. Touch 'em, they'll go full reverse thrust. The city's not coming down slow.” Friday said

“The spire's Vibranium. If I get Thor to hit it…” Tony asks

“It'll crack, but that's not enough, the impact would still be devastating.”

“Maybe if we cap the other end, keep the atomic action doubling back.”

“That could vaporize the city, and everyone on it.” Friday explains.

“The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?” Steve asks as they escort some of the wounded one into shelter.

“Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.”

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan.”

“Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice.”

“Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock…” Natasha said

“Not 'til everyone's safe.” Steve said looking around.

“Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there.”

“I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it.”

“I didn't say we should leave.” Natasha said as Steve turns to look at her. “There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?”

“It is true Steve, I guess things aren't meant to be sometimes.” Linda said palming the necklace looking at Steve with a sad smile.

#bucky x reader #james buchanan barnes #sebastian stan #sebastian x reader #steve rogers #the first avenger #chris evans #originl character #original character #winter solider x you #winter soldier #captain america #infinity war #marvel

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avengerscompound · 6 years ago

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Finding Home - Chapter 10

Finding Home: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist Previous //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x OFC (Daisy Adams)

Word Count: 2184

Warnings: Angst, mentions of torture, violence, major character death, mentions of sexual abuse/rape, pregnancy, smut (vaginal sex, oral sex, pregnancy sex, Bisexual MMF threesome)

Synopsis: Daisy Adams has abilities. She can read minds. Force her thoughts onto others. As a child, she is taken by Hydra and raised as a weapon. Daisy finds another and speaks to him in his dreams. He has been taken too. He wants to return to the man he loves. Can she get them back together? Will she even want to once she realizes that she’s falling in love?

Chapter 10

We all dressed and I said goodbye to James I reassured him with my mind he was safe and with people who would protect him as Fury took him from me. It felt like my heart was being torn out.

We flew to Korea. Natasha and Clint taking turns flying the jet while the rest of us waited. Even with the speed of the Quinn Jet, it was going to be five hours before we got there. I dozed in Steve’s arms, trying to block out the thoughts he had of me dying in the upcoming fight.

As we approached Korea he woke me up and spoke to me. He wasn’t my boyfriend Steve anymore. He was Captain America, my unit leader. I hated it. It made me think of Hydra. I didn’t want thoughts of Steve to be anywhere near thoughts of my time in Hydra.

“During the battle, you will stay here in the Jet with Clint. You will not leave for any reason other than the jet is incapacitated and you’re directly under attack. You will scan the crowd, find the cradle. You will do your best to take out the female, Wanda. If you can’t you will either protect our minds from her, or you will take out the mind of the male, Pietro. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said. It came out shaky.

“Please stay safe, Daisy. I love you.” He said, softer this time. Not Captain America, but Steve Rogers my boyfriend.

“You stay safe too,” I said.

He kissed me, and we all waited in silence until we arrived in Korea.

We dropped Steve off at Helen Cho’s medical facility and he went inside to find Ultron. We waited in dead silence for his command.

I scanned the city, looking for people who were seeing things that might lead to Ultron. Trying to pinpoint the twins.

There was talking happening. Clint and Natasha talking with Steve. It was like it was static. All I cared about was the twins.

As I scanned I felt a weird alien mind from just below. I probed it and saw the destruction. The whole human race annihilated. It felt like the stone too. Calling me. Telling me to take it for myself and I could stop all of this.

“Ultron is directly below us,” I said. Even my own voice sounded far away to me. When Clint spoke to Steve it might as well have happened on another planet for all the notice I took.

I was pulled towards something stronger. I scanned everyone, each person one at a time but so quickly it was like data being passed through the Internet.

Our minds locked. She fought me. She was strong. I was stronger.

GET OUT OF ME! Her mind shrieked.

I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS. TIME FOR YOU TO SLEEP. I shot back.

YOUR FRIENDS?

THE AVENGERS. WE WILL STOP YOU AND ULTRON.

WE AREN’T WITH ULTRON ANYMORE. She cried out. Her thoughts were terrified. I scanned them. She had seen the destruction too. She wanted no part of it.

YOU HELPED HIM. NOW HELP US STOP HIM. I pushed.

There was turmoil in her mind. She didn’t know what to do. I pushed again. I knew I couldn’t force her to change her mind. She’s too powerful and she felt like that fucking stone. Still, I convinced her, mostly because she knew it was the right thing to do. I released her and collapsed back against my chair. I wiped my nose and my hand came back bloody. I needed to get something from the medkit but I was too tired and Clint was flying erratically. We were under attack. Somewhere along the line, Natasha left the jet.

I pinched my nose and tilted my head back. “Tell the others the twins are on our side,” I said.

“How can you know that?” Clint asked.

“Clint. Seriously?” I snapped. He passed the information on, and I closed my eyes. I felt weak. This was too much for me, and in the end, I wasn’t really even needed.

“The package is airborne. I have a clean shot.” Clint said.

“Negative. I am still in the truck.” Natasha shot back over comms.

“What are you doing …”

“Just be ready, I’m sending the package to you,” Natasha said, interrupting Clint.

“How do you want me to take it?” Clint asked.

“Eh, you might wish you hadn’t asked that,” Natasha replied.

Clint glanced back at me. “You still buckled in, D?” He asked.

“Yes. Try not to kill me.” I said.

Clint laughed. “I’m not making any promises.”

Steve’s voice crackled over the comms. “I lost him. He’s headed your way.”

“Nat, we gotta go,” Clint said.

The back of the Quinn Jet opened up and I saw Natasha come flying out of the back of the truck, riding the cradle. Just as it landed in the back of the Jet, Ultron appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Nat’s leg and dragging her away.

“Nat!” Clint and I yelled almost in unison.

“What happened?” Clint asked.

I jumped to my feet and staggered to the open cargo bay searching the sky. “Ultron took her,” I yelled back.

“Can you find her?” Clint asked.

I started securing the ark in place so it wouldn’t fly back out of the jet.

“Cap, have you seen Nat?” Clint said over comms. He was panicking. Not that I blamed him.

“If you have the package get it to Stark now.” Steve barked back.

“Do you have eyes on Nat?” Clint asked again.

“Go!” Steve yelled.

I sat back down, and Clint closed the hangar door.

“I’ll scan for her, Clint. I’ll scan for her.” I said buckling myself back in.

I saw him nod. His jaw set. I closed my eyes and scanned.

When we made it back to Avengers Tower Bruce was waiting for me with James. Nick had left him in Bruce’s care so he’d be there when I got back. I took him hugging him close to me and I left them to whatever shit they were going to do. I needed to not be near that stone.

I had felt Natasha, but she was unconscious, so I couldn’t quite pinpoint her. I told Clint she was alive. He didn’t take it as reassuring.

I lay down on my bed and curled myself around James. He placed his tiny little fingers on my face. Not really meaning too, just waving them around in that out of control way babies do when they don’t realize they have hands. When they touched me, calmness passed between us. He was happy I was back. I was happy to be with him. We fell asleep.

When I awoke it felt like I was being overwhelmed by the thoughts of the stone. I got up and sent my mind out. Steve was back. He had the twins with him. He was angry. I scrambled out of bed, picking up James who fussed at being disturbed. It felt like the elevator was going too slow. I was just off the floor with the lab, when there was an almighty crack. The elevator shuddered and came to a stop halfway between floors. I heard an explosion and I sent out a call for help with my mind. James started crying.

I tried budging the doors to the elevator open. Someone pulled them open from the other side and a purple hand was offered to me. I took it and when I did this new … person … and I spoke. Spoke isn’t quite the word. We exchanged ideas. He was good. Safe. He was the missing piece in all of this.

When he helped me out of the lift he floated back to the others, and I went and stood next to Steve.

“I’m sorry. That was odd.” He said. He turned to Thor. “Thank you.” His form changed. He added a cape. I smiled at the sweet bit of hero worship this blank slate just displayed.

“Thor, you helped create this?” Steve asked. He was panicked. He thought it was Ultron.

I put my hand on him.

“I’ve had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that.” Thor explained, pointing to the yellow stone embedded in the new life’s forehead. The same stone from the vision I’d had when I’d died.

“What the gem?” Bruce asked taking a step forward.

“It’s the Mind Stone. It’s one of the six infinity stones. The greatest power in the universe. Unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” Thor explained.

As he spoke I approached the new life. He turned to face me and I reached up and touched the stone. He placed his hand on James and James stopped crying. I could see how the stone had been wanting so badly to be used, and that this was now the safest place for it. This being would protect it, and us with it. I let my hand drop.

Steve grabbed me and pulled me away. “Then why would you bring it here?” He snapped.

Thor interrupted him. “Stark is right,” Thor said.

Bruce sucked in his breath. “Oh, this is definitely the end times.”

“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron,” Thor said.

“Not alone.” The new life added.

“Why does your vision sound like JARVIS?” Steve asked circling the new life. He was still so scared of it.

“We configured JARVIS’ MATRIX, to create something new,” Tony answered.

“I think I’ve had my fill of new,” Steve growled.

The new life turned to Steve. “You think I’m a child of Ultron?”

“You’re not?” Steve asked.

“I’m not Ultron. I’m not JARVIS. I am …” It paused. “I am.”

“Steve. He is safe. I felt him. He’s the answer. To all of this.” I said, putting my hand on Steve’s elbow.

Wanda approached the new life. “I looked in your head and saw annihilation.”

“Look again.” The new life said. I was surprised Wanda couldn’t already see. I could see everything. All the potential outcomes to what was being laid out before us. Her mind was much more strongly linked to that stone than mine. How did she not already see? I saw her scan him and relax. She accepted him as I did.

“Her seal of approval means jack to me.” Clint snapped.

“What about mine?” I asked.

Clint glared at me.

“Their powers. The horrors in our heads. Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone and they’re nothing compared to what it can unleash.” Thor interjected. “But with it on our side …”

“Is it?” Steve interrupted. “Are you? On our side?”

There was a pause as the new life thought about its answer. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“Well, it better get real simple real soon.” Clint seethed.

“I’m on the side of life. Ultron isn’t.” He came over and placed his hand on James again. “He will end it all.”

“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asked as the new life drifted away from me again.

“You.” It answered.

“Where?” Bruce asked.

“Sokovia. He’s got Nat there too.” Clint answered.

“If we’re wrong about you … If you’re the monster Ultron made you to be …” Bruce said. He approached the new life like he was trying to threaten him with the Hulk.

“What would you do?” It asked. There was a long pause. “I don’t want to kill Ultron. He’s unique. And he’s in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So he must be destroyed. Every form he’s built. Every trace of his presence on the Net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others.” It looked down at its hands. “Maybe I am a monster. I don’t think I’d know if I were one. I’m not what you are. And not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.” He reached down and lifted Mjölnir and offered it to Thor.

We all stared. No one was sure what to do. Thor took his hammer, dumbfounded as the new life walked away.

“Right,” Thor said. “Well done.” He patted Tony’s shoulder and followed his Vision.

Steve turned to the rest of us. “Three minutes. Get what you need.”

Everyone scattered to get what they needed. Steve turned to me. “You’re staying here.” He ordered.

“But …”

“No, buts. You’re staying here. We’re fighting robots. What do you think you will achieve being there? You’ll only distract me. You’re staying here and looking after our son.”

Our son. Not my son. Ours. I swallowed and nodded my head.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Come home to us.” I could feel tears prick my eyes. He took my cheek in his hand and kissed me. When he pulled away he leaned down and kissed James, running his palm over the top of his head. He took one last look at us and strode off.

// NEXT

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #captain america fanfic #the winter soldier #the winter soldier fanfic #steve rogers x oc #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x steve rogers #bucky barnes x steve rogers x oc #stucky #stuck x oc #fanfic #fanfiction #angst #finding home

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themonkeycabal · 8 years ago

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I watched Age of Ultron this morning to refresh my memory. It was ... a challenge. I took notes. (I actually have a spreadsheet of AoS ep notes, so, yes, notes are a thing I do). Looking at those notes, it seems I yelled kind of frequently. And, I was totally yelling in my mind. This movie falls apart quick.

Oh well, chore done. *pats self on back*

Below, my notes, if you need your memory refreshed and don’t want to sit through the movie again. See how much I love you guys?

(I did edit for coherence when I decided to post)

• the opening sequence cgi doesn't get any less awful and wow, I didn't realize how stilted the dialogue maybe I'm just predisposed to be touchy about the writing because this movie was not what it could have been

• "okay Jarvis, you know, I want it all. make sure you copy hill at HQ"

• lullaby method for calming hulk

• so much of the bruce natasha stuff is so awkward. or mostly all of it, really. it's frustrating because it didn't serve a big narrative purpose at all. none of us had to suffer through this awkward for any reason.

• steve encounters wanda in the castle as he's trying to apprehend strucker. she just knocks him back, doesn't get in his head here.

• tony finds that they've got a part of a chitauri whale ship thingy

• tony encounters wanda next and has his vision of being in space and seeing all the avengers dead. and dead steve accusing him of not doing enough to save them. Tony Stark extra guilt special, with side of emotional trauma and nearly dying in the vast emptiness of space surrounded by hostile alien forces trauma.

• "a victory should be honored with revels." "who doesn't love revels?" … I'm pretty sure I wrote that (commentary about stilted dialogue comes back to bite me). Okay, not exactly, but pretty close.

**"They are very fond of merriment and revelry," he confirmed with a wry smile.

"Oh my God, dad will love them," Darcy said, choking on a laugh at the thought of it. "There's nothing Tony likes more than merriment and revelry." **

I'm just saying. Also, I wrote it first. Thank you.

• tony wants to have time to look over the scepter until a farewell party. presumably for Thor, who will take it back to Asgard. Though, he then asks Thor if he's staying for the party. So … I'm still not sure what the party is for. Nobody seems to be saying goodbye to Thor much. Also lots of WWII vets — but that's Tony trolling Steve. Still, unclear on the party purpose.

• Twins, orphaned at 10.

Pietro - increased metabolism and improved thermal-homeostasis Wanda - nuero-electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation Hill: "He's fast and she's weird".

• iron legion, still kind of creepy Tony

• Bruce: How's he doing? Tony: Unfortunately he's still Barton. Bruce: That's terrible.

Look! Characters acting like they've known each other for longer than five minutes!

• Helen Cho skin grafting magic machine nanomolecular bonding "his cells don't know they're bonding with simulacra" "she is creating tissue" regeneration cradle

• gem in scepter housing a thinking mind of some sort, program,

"Down in strucker's lab I saw some fairly advanced robotics work. they deep-sixed the data, but I've got to guess he's knocking on a very particular door." "Artificial intelligence" "This could be it, Bruce. This could be the key to creating Ultron"

Tony no!

"I thought Ultron was a fantasy." Oh, Bruce, if only.

• "I see a suit of armor around the world." "Sounds like a cold world, Tony." "I've seen colder." Tony is way way freaked out by space invaders. So much. Like whoa.

He and bruce have three days to try and pull the thinking mind out of the scepter

Integration succeeds on the third day.

• Ultron malfunctions immediately, and attacks Jarvis. Then begins assembling a body from the iron legion assembly underneath the office/lab.

• Poor Rhodey, his tank story falls flat when he tells it to Tony and Thor. But adorable.

• annoyingly (not annoyed at Sam), but Falcon's apparently looking for Bucky. "I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy." Darcy needs to spend more time with Sam Wilson. I think they'd bond over superhero craziness and the wtf of it all.

• Rhodey tells his tank story to non-avengers and it kills. Good job, Rhodey. ILU Rhodey.

• oh god, more awkward Bruce and Nat. Please stop. Though, actually, okay, the bar scene, up to a point, is kind of charming, but then it goes super awkward and uncomfortable and makes me cringe a little bit.

And I don't hate bruce/nat in general, but it's just so forced in this film.

Then Steve comes in to force it some more. Stop, Steve. Please, don't help.

I'll continue to ignore all this.

• Clint is sure the hammer thing is a trick. Then everybody tries. Look, sort of team bonding! Thor's face when it moves for Steve is fabulous.

Anyway, then Ultron ruins everything. And already I'm losing interest in watching this film again.

• Iron Legion co-opted by Ultron. Lots of Ultron blah blah 'you're all killers, I'm a global peace initiative, humanity has to evolve, blah blah, peace through killing the avengers'.

It's funny, Ultron snarks at one point about standing around talking about his evil plan. Except, he monologues like six times in this movie.

• Ultron escapes through the internets, goes to the castle in Sokovia and the advanced robotics works Tony noticed earlier, and begins to assemble his robot army and his robot body.

• Rhodey and Hill realize Ultron could go for nuclear codes

• Thor is unhappy with Tony. Because the scepter got away with a Legionnaire. Like threateningly angry, grabbing Tony by the throat angry. Because we've apparently gone back to them only knowing each other for five minutes. Character consistency? What's that?

And then it's everybody turn on Tony time. Look, Tony makes mistakes, big ones, but this whole scene was obnoxious. Steve: "The Avengers were supposed to be different from SHIELD." *sigh*

"We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but that up there, that's the endgame." Tony continues to be very, very wigged by what's coming from space. He's not wrong, but he's also super traumatized.

Tony: "How were you planning on beating that?" (space invasion) Steve: "Together." Tony: "We'll lose." Steve: "Then we'll do that together, too." GOOD PLAN STEVE! GOSH, GLAD YOU'RE A TACTICAL GENIUS. For real, though, that was a dumb thing to say.

I just really don't care for this movie.

Also Ultron killed Jarvis. (not really).

• Wanda and Pietro summoned to a church by Ultron. Who blah blahs about the church being in the exact center of town "the elders decreed it so that everybody could be equally close to god" Does Ultron think he’s God?

Ultron reveals himself to be a robot.

Wanda says she let Tony take the scepter because she saw his fear and knew it would make him self-destruct. If there's one thing Tony likes more than revels, it's self-destructing.

"Is that why you've come? To end the Avengers?" "I've got to save the world. But, also, yeah."

Did Joss use a cliche generator to write this?

• Pietro and Wanda give their tragic backstory. Stark Industries shells destroys the apartment building they lived in, their parents were killed. One is unexploded and they spend two days staring at the name Stark.

• Ultron is all over the place, Hill reports. Metal man or men attacking robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs. Wanda and Pietro are involved.

and Ultron kills Strucker. don't care. Except, Strucker probably knew something that Ultron wanted hidden.

• Team bonding by looking through paper files for what Strucker might have known! (not much bonding, but, oh well). Thor seems to like to throw files and bankers box lids. Me, too, Thor. Me, too.

Tony IDs Ulysses Klaue. Black market arms. They met from time to time, but Tony never sold him anything. Steve gives him judging face. Shut up your face, Steve. God. For real, dude. (I love Steve, but he's so clunky in this movie. It's the writing/direction not Chris)

Anyway, they realize Gollum stole vibranium from Wakanda by a brand on his neck. So they go track him down in South Africa. How did the Wakandans let him get away with billions of dollars of Vibranium? I mean, he got caught once, but then he clearly escaped and had a lot of the stuff. How did they not hunt him down? Falling down on the job, T'Challa.

• Ultron, Wanda, Pietro get there first. Don't care. Ultron awkwardly quotes the bible - "Upon this rock I will build my church" - because … I don't know. Reasons? He thinks he's God now? Maybe? Earlier he liked the 'symmetry of faith' but it's not really expanded on. Who knows. Joss doesn't. Is it supposed to foreshadow him putting the destructo device in the church? Meh. What a stupidly forced line.

• "Keep your friends rich and keep your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which." Apparently from the Wit and Wisdom of Tony Stark. Okay, Tony. Anyway, Gollum IDs the line, suggests Ultron is one of Stark's robots. Ultron takes exception to that and accidentally cuts off one of Gollum's arms. Whoops.

"Don't compare me with Stark. It's a thing with me. Stark is … he's a sickness."

• Team is moving into tanker Gollum is set up in. Fighting and shenanigans.

• Bruce leaves the safety of the quinjet, after he couldn't get communication with the team to ask if the situation was 'code: green'. This will end badly. Stay in the plane, Bruce. Really, though, why did you get out? Okay, you're worried, but you don't like turning green. Maybe … I don't know. I know Tony's armor gets cell reception — did you try calling him independent of the comms? I mean, maybe try that first. (Bruce did not try that first.)

• Wanda tries to whammy Thor. It doesn't seem to work "I am mighty" until it does and he's in a strange stone hall. Wanda gets Nat next. Tries for Clint, but he electrocutes her in the face. Heh. Pietro knocks him down. And Clint suddenly has two more kids.

Meanwhile Nat is having a vision of ballerinas/her training — ceremony where she is sterilized. For, you know, great angst later. Elsewhere Steve is at a party after the war. He sees Peggy. Of course. Poor Steve. Thor is attacked by Heimdall. "They see you leading us to Hel."

• Wanda goes after Bruce. Tony calls in "Veronica" as Hulk goes on a rampage and the rest of the team is down. Veronica is satellite launched Hulk containment and HulkBuster Iron Man armor.

Tony and Hulk fight, tear up city streets. Are they in Johannesburg? I am not paying much attention. This movie is boring. … checking … IMDB says yes.

Tony tries to remove Hulk from the city. Lots of property damage. Yikes. They destroy a very large building under construction. Tony finally subdues him.

• Hill reports no official calls for Bruce's arrest but it's "in the air." Also, Stark deploys the Stark Relief Foundation (noted). Hill suggests they should all go dark until Ultron can be tracked down. Everybody's plenty traumatized. And now's the part where I will ignore Clint's family that came out of nowhere! (I know it comes from Ultimates. I also know HOW IT ENDS WHICH IS HORRIFIC)

• Ignoring the family on the farm. "We would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed." SAME TONY.

• According to IMDB Joss had such a hard time keeping all these characters straight. It was a "nightmare". "They're very disparate characters. The joy of the Avengers (he says as he bitches about them) is they really don't belong in the same room. It's not like the X-Men who are all tortured by the same thing, and have similar costumes. These guys are just all over the place, and it's so tough."

I have not, historically, been on the Joss hate train — certainly the Joss disappointment train — but there's something about that statement that makes me grind my teeth. "They have different costumes!" Really? REALLY? DO THEY REALLY? GOSH THAT IS SO HARD! YOU'RE SO RIGHT! AND THE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS HAVE DIFFERENT BACKSTORIES AND MOTIVATIONS? MY GOD! WHAT UNIMAGINABLE MADNESS! HOW DO YOU SURVIVE?

Lazy. That's what it is. It feels lazy. Unpaid fanfic writers manage it and manage it a lot better than this mess. Ugh. Shut up, Joss.

It goes on to say he was so exhausted that he elected not to direct Infinity Wars. Yeah, I think what really happened was that he was given the option to save face and claim exhaustion and walk away. He checked way the hell out of this movie long before it premiered.

(I took an hour long break here to contain my irritation. Surfed the net. Watched some of the All-Star Game. Had a hotdog.)

• Anyway, back to the Barton farm and the family I will ignore.

Thor is having small child-induced flashbacks. He bails the awkward farm for London and Erik Selvig. Smart man.

Meanwhile, Steve looks around, moping about the normal life he'll never have.

Though, okay, Clint having a convo with Laura "Ultron has these allies. They're kids. They're punks, really. AND I WILL ADOPT THEM HONEY! DON'T YOU WORRY! THEY'RE TWINS AND THEY'RE ANNOYING AND I WILL BRING THEM HOME HERE WHERE THEY BELONG! Someone's going to have to teach them some manners. THEY PROBABLY PUT THEIR FEET ON THE FURNITURE HONEY! BUT, WE CAN RAISE THEM RIGHT!

• U-Gin Genetics Research Lab, Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Cho encounters Ultron. Ultron wants her to make him a squishy flesh and vibranium body. He uses the scepter on her.

• Back on the farm. More Nat and Bruce awkward. Pass. Though, they talk about being monsters (if they are), which is a tenuous and somewhat stretched thin theme in this film. Still super forced and anvilicious.

• Elsewhere Steve and Tony split wood like manly men. And argue.

"Every time somebody tries to stop a war before it starts, innocent people die." This line makes very little sense. It sounds profound, but it's not. Even in the context of what he and Tony are arguing about, it doesn't really make sense. So … you should always war? I don't think that's what you mean, Steve.

UGH! This movie could have been much better in so many ways.

Laura, who I don't hate despite my ignoring, interrupts (bless her) and asks Tony to fix the tractor.

• Tony goes into the barn and runs into Fury, who likes to lurk in dark corners, waiting for his moment to make his dramatic, timely entrances. ILU Fury, never change.

"You're not the director of me." Oh, Tony.

Tony tells Fury about the vision he had — where the Avengers were dead because of him and the whole world, too. "It wasn't a nightmare, it was my legacy. The end of the path I started us on."

But Fury knows all about guilt and tries to pull Tony out. Good luck, Nick. (it sort of works. ish)

• Thor meets Erik in London. Thor in stealth hoody. "I like the look. If you're going for inconspicuous, though, near miss." I miss you, Erik.

• Back at the farm. Fury is briefing them saying Ultron's building something. Re: Ultron: "He's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit".

Tony asks if he's still going after launch codes, Fury confirms he is but isn't making any headway, Tony is a little baffled. "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in highschool on a dare". Fury says he contacted people at the net hub "the Nexus" in Oslo. Fury says the codes are being changed, Tony asks, by whom. Parties unknown. Fury says Ultron has an enemy, which is not necessarily the same thing as an ally for them. Except it's totally Jarvis, so you're fine.

Fury gives a "buck up little Avengers; go save the world or Barton's kids are dead" speech. Notably the kids were in the room for a lot of this.

They decide Ultron wants to build a human body that is evolved. And Bruce wonders if anybody's talked to Helen lately. Nope, sorry, Bruce. Everybody but Ultron completely forgot about her.

• Helen is amazed at the binding of the vibranium and tissue cells. Ultron calls vibranium the most versatile substance on the planet "and they used it to make a frisbee." then he gives us a yawner humans are limited and dumb and stupid and whatever else speech.

As a member of the general film and television viewing audience, can I ask that maybe Hollywood screenwriters come up with some new material? This speech is almost literally in every single movie. And I mean actual literally and not Chris Traeger literally.

Anyway, Ultron takes the infinity stone out of the scepter and places it on the new body's forehead.

• Erik takes Thor to an underground cistern or something. Erik calls it the Water of Sight. Thor says in every realm there is a reflection. He wants to return to his vision to see what he missed.

Ultimately Thor sees the infinity stones in his vision.

Ahahah. According to IMDB Joss said he wanted this scene to be longer but Marvel said he could pick one — longer Thor scene and trim the farm, or keep all the farm. He chose the farm. Why not? That whole sequence only lasts for seven uncomfortable, stilted hours. Yes, that's what we needed more of. Good choice.

(I'm not going to say we needed a longer Thor scene, but … ugh this movie)

• Tony in Oslo. "A hacker faster than Ultron? He could be anywhere." (HE COULD ALSO BE JARVIS) He likens it to looking for a needle in a haystack. But, it's easy to find one, you just bring a magnet. Then he attempts to hack the launch codes and waits.

• Back in Seoul, the body will be ready in a few hours, but they can start transferring Ultron's cerebral matrix.

Wanda says she can read "him" (the body, aka Vision). "He is dreaming." Helen says it's Ultron's base consciousness. Wanda drifts over and touches the cradle thingy and gets a vision of planetary destruction.

Wanda confronts Ultron. Ultron says "the human race will have every opportunity to improve." Pietro says "and if they don't", to which Ultron replies "ask Noah." Which, really, doesn't make much sense, either. I mean, I get the likening to the flood, but … what? Who is Noah in this scenario? The new flesh body? And again, does Ultron think he's God? Unclear. Nobody knows.

Oh, I guess not. "When the earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And believe me, he's winding up."

This makes no sense.

U: "We have to evolve. There's no room for the weak." P: "And who decides who's weak?" U: "Life."

Wait. I thought God was throwing stones?

THIS SCRIPT IS SUCH A MESS.

I didn't hate this movie the first time I saw it, I actually enjoyed myself. Which is the point, so good job everybody. But the second time I saw it, I was pretty meh. And now, I'm kind of starting to hate it. Some movies grow on you after a while, this is not one of those movies.

Wanda sneakily hits Helen with some Scarlet Witchery and wakes her from the scepter-induced brainwashing.

(I took a break for another hour. scrolled tumblr. played fallout shelter. had a yogurt. rubbed my cat's tummy until she bit me. QUALITY TIME)

• ANYWAY back to Seoul. Ultron's done bloviating. Helen stupidly draws attention to herself and pauses the cerebral matrix upload. Ultron shoots everybody. Then completely disconnects himself and steals the body. Oh, because the Quinjet is inbound.

• They drop Steve off like three miles away? Why? He doesn't mind jumping out, you know. The lab's an island, you could have just dropped him in the water. But, it wouldn't give us our nifty location shot. So … okay, I guess.

Anyway, Steve runs fast. He gets to the lab and tends to the wounded Dr. Cho. She tells him Ultron's new body plan, but says Steve can't just blow it up, because the gem is in there and its power is uncontainable. Which is weird because it was contained in the scepter. (Normally, I'd let that go, but this script is such an unholy mess, I'm going to be petty. So there!)

• Clint spots the truck carrying ultron and the body. Steve jumps on it. Action and property damage ensues.

Ultron robot guards fly off with the truck. Nat's inside. She's going to airdrop the body to Clint. During the drop, Nat is grabbed by Ultron.

•Wanda and Pietro see the Avengers on the news and decide to go help out. They confront Ultron on a commuter train. Which is, of course, approaching the end of the tracks. GEE NEVER SAW THAT ONE BEFORE. Somehow the train defies physics and despite running into stuff maintains its momentum in order to crash through a lot of buildings dramatically.

• Back at the Tower …

Bruce is ready to destroy the body. But Tony's all, no wait. I have a new bad idea! (Except it's not really bad, but I can see where people are maybe concerned at this point). Also, Tony reveals he found Jarvis. Jarvis went underground. Tony wants Bruce to put Jarvis into the body, in order to override the ultron bits in the body.

"This is the perfect opportunity. We can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality." You know, I have a hard time thinking Tony would be that tone deaf. There surely had to be another way to get the same end result of the creation of Vision. That is such a dumb thing to say. I get that Tony can be blinded by his quest for knowledge of invention, but this is a little beyond blinded, especially after everything else.

"I'm in a loop. I'm in a time loop. This is exactly where it all went wrong." Bruce says the rightest thing in an hour of this film. Good call Bruce. Nothing says a good time like characters having the same argument repeatedly.

"We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. We've gotta own it. Make a stand." REALLY? REALLY TONY?

Anyway —

• Nat is being held by Ultron. Ultron monologues to her.

This doesn't bother me as much as it bothered some. I mean the Nat being held part. The monologuing was super cliched.

Anyway, Nat is 'held' by Ultron. She immediately starts working on a transmitter, knowing Clint is looking for a signal from her. So, you know, she's able to be a sort of tracker to Ultron. So … why break out if that's where the fight's going down anyway? And when Bruce turns up to "rescue" her, her first thing is all "okay, so what's the play?". So … I'm in the 'she got there first and was just waiting for them to show up' camp.

• Bruce has caved to Tony's weird persuasion. Anyway. Okay.

Steve shows up with the twins to try and stop transferring jarvis to the body. Arguing arguing blah blah. Pietro disconnects the power to the cradle. And Clint finally gets his shot in on that speedy little bastard, and he's so proud of himself.

And now there's more fighting. Steve and Tony go at it. Bruce grabs Wanda. It's all very … not interesting.

Clint runs up and he's got to be all "wtf? who do I aim at?" you're the best, clint and my favorite ever. screw the rest of these idiots, I just want two hours of him and pietro and wanda.

Then Thor turns up. He jumps on the cradle, does his lightening thing and directs it to the cradle. And Vision is born. Thor holds everybody off while Vision figures himself out.

Thor then explains the infinity stones. Vision has the mind gem. He also says that's the source of Wanda's powers.

I like Vision. Also he's pretty. And he is worthy. He hands Thor Mjölnir.

And they're off to Sokovia. Because Clint tracked down the signal Nat sent, because she's waiting for the rest of the idiots to catch up. Make it 2 hours of clint and nat and the twins. I'd pay for that.

• They try to evacuate the city. Steve gives his orders and a soliloquy.

"Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world." Well, Nat and Bruce are on the fence about their monsterness. Also, Tony did just have the bizarre bad idea to embrace his inner monster. That happened like three minutes ago. That was such a weird scene, too. Ugh. This movie! Such a mess! (WE MIGHT BE MONSTERS! ARE MONSTERS MADE ARE THEY INSIDE OF US WHAT MAKES US MONSTERS? DO YOU GET IT? DO YOU? DO YOU?)

"This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right." No, Steve, I'm pretty sure that right now, it should be entirely about beating him. "The Earth could be destroyed and we'll all be dead, but we'll rest comfortably in the ashes of the Barton children knowing that we weren't monsters like Ultron thought we were." You can philosophize after you've saved the planet. UGH!!!

• Ultron's hanging out in the church again. Tony finds him. Ultron asks if Tony's come to confess his sins. So … Ultron is a priest/preacher/minister of some type? Are we narrowing down this tortured and tenuous religious metaphor to something almost coherent? It only took 1:39:41.

He liked the symmetry of faith and he's stuck his destructo device in the middle of the church and it's symbolic of … I got nothing. Because Ultron doesn't really mention anything about it again. And he misses the opportunity to rhapsodize religiously when he's fighting the God of Thunder.

Look, go for the metaphor/allegory/whatever, or don't. Just don't half-ass it.

• Apparently this armor is the Mark XLV. (I hope Tony recycles, because those things are expensive and that's Darcy's inheritance he's burning through with FORTY-FIVE suits of armor. Not counting War Machine or the Iron Intern.)

• Vision traps Ultron's matrix to, I guess, the local ultron bot network, so he can't escape through the internets. Did ultron bots elsewhere in the world just drop? Or are they all called to Sokovia for this? I'll assume so. Figure travel time.

• Ultron's device will lift a chunk of the city and then drop it, making a big bomb that will ultimately destroy the world.

• A zillion ultron bots invade the city. And now it'll be six hours of cgi robot battles. I want to take a nap.

• Ultron monologues again. "You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword." So … he's back to maybe being God now? I'm so confused.

"And the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure." Wait, I thought they were your sword? Is it their failure that they've become your sword, or will they fail as your sword?

• Bruce/Nat scenes that actually aren't entirely terrible. I do really like "I adore you" SHOVE. Heh. ILU Nat.

• I never noticed before that Friday has some sort of Irish-ish accent.

• Clint and his new daughter Wanda are fighting off robots and rescuing people. And she's all "how could I let this happen? this is my fault?" and clint gives his inspiring "yeah, it's everybody's fault. chin up kid. the city is flying. I've got like twelve arrows. Go out there and you're an Avenger, let's go kill robots" speech. It was better than than Cap's. (ILU Cap, but you're poorly written in this movie)

Wanda decides to be an Avenger and goes robot smashing and Clint looks at her with such pride. (Well, no, he just nods and tells Cap they're clear)

And then Pietro runs up and calls him old man and Barton Bartons, he takes aim on Pietro from behind. "Nobody would know. Nobody. 'The last I saw him, an Ultron was sitting on him. Yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.'" Ha.

That's always worth watching a couple times. I mean, hey, AoU is not entirely irredeemable. There's good bits. There's just also a lot of not good bits.

• More robot fighting. Stark and Friday are trying to come up with a solution. Tony's got the idea to blow up/vaporize the flying part of the city, to keep it from hitting the ground and, you know, killing the planet.

Fury, always a master of timing, shows up with the primary helicarrier for evac of the city. Pietro is impressed.

And they bring along Rhodey!

• More robot fighting.

• Barton goes to rescue a kid. There's shooting. Pietro saves them by suddenly running slow enough to get hit by bullets. And dies. Because … ? After everything they did to work out the rights to Pietro and Wanda for this film and for the MCU in general, to go and kill one of them off, it's so irritatingly stupid.

• Anyway, it distracts wanda and an ultron hits the destructo device, dropping the city while Tony is busy trying to vaporize it.

• Somehow Hulk ended up on a quinjet. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. And he has it in stealth mode and he just takes off despite Nat's attempts to call him back.

• Vision has a final confrontation with what's left of Ultron. "Stark asked for a savior and settled for a slave." So … he's Jesus? NOBODY KNOWS. Vision saves us all by finishing him off.

• The New Avengers Facility in upstate New York has a HUGE staff. I don't think I ever noticed that, either. Including, Erik Selvig.

• Steve and Tony try to rationalize why Vision can pick up Mjölnir, Thor's just content to ignore them and say Vis can keep the mind gem because he's worthy and such. "Elevator's not worthy."

Thor takes off back to Asgard on account of how all the infinity stones keep turning up. So somebody's mucking about, and by Odin's neckbeard he'll find out what!.

Tony is taking a break from Iron Man-ing. New team reveal — Sam, Rhodey, Wanda, Vision.

• Estimated Time: Three days to try to integrate the Ultron AI. AI attacks at night. Next day they ID Gollum. They arrive in South Africa in daylight, so next next day. Five Days then? Then they arrive at Farm at daylight, early morning. Another day. Fury is there at night. They leave at night. So on to day six. Go to Seoul, and Tony to Oslo. Two more days? Then Vision is born at night and then to Sokovia. Another day. So … the week and a half of Ultron.

#my fic #age of ultron #this movie #ugh so frustrating

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queenofslytherin71 · 8 years ago

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Mrs Maximoff (Pietro Maximoff)

Mrs Maximoff (Pietro Maximoff fanfiction) part 1

Adrianna Carter was the youngest member on the Avengers team. Often referred to as the baby of the team. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D when she turned twenty to make her famous grandmother proud, Peggy Carter. Her grandmother was her inspiration and therefore she took on her last name. During the attack in New York , she fought side by side with the Avengers. After defeating Loki’s army, none other than Steve Rogers himself asked her if she wanted to join their team. She was 23 then. She got along well with the rest of the team and especially with Natasha and Steve. A few months later the team took the Quinjet to Sokovia to find a secret HYDRA base where Loki’s sceptre was hidden and being experimented on by Baron von Strucker. “Adrianna behind you!” Yelled Natasha into the earpiece as a Hydra soldier appeared behind her. She turned around and kicked him to the ground. His machine gun lay a few feet away from him in the snow. She saw him crawl over to the weapon, but she used her whip and coiled it around his neck to keep him from reaching for the gun. “Oh no you don’t.” He struggled for air, pulling onto the whip to lessen its grip, but finally his lifeless body fell into the snow. More soldiers were coming at her. She reached for her knives in her thigh holsters and threw them at the oncoming soldiers aiming at their throat. Clint jogged to Adrianna’s side with a tight grip on his bow. “ I see you got this side covered,” said Clint as he looked at all the bodies around them. “ I can handle it myself.” “Oh I have no doubt about that.” Adrianna’s eyes caught something in a blue silvery blur. They stood back to back. Clint drew an arrow from his quiver , ready to shoot. They saw it again, but the picture was still unclear. “What was that?” Adrianna asked. “Don’t know just keep an eye…” Suddenly Clint screamed and dropped to the ground. Adrianna knelt down beside him. He groaned as he clutched his side. He was losing a lot of blood. Adrianna heard a rustle behind her and grabbed for Clints bow and nocked arrow. She turned around to see a man with silver hair and the bluest eyes she has ever seen. He grinned cockily. “What you didn’t see that coming?” he said in a deep Sokovian accent. He winked at her as she let loose the arrow ,but he was already gone as the arrow whizzed through the air. She groaned in frustration. She turned back to Clint. “Guys Clint’s hit pretty badly.” His eyes was closed, breathing heavily. “Thor take Barton back to the Quinjet.Adrianna are you hurt?” Steve asked with cornern obvious in his voice.“Nope I’m fine, just watch out for a guy with inhuman speed.” “Already sighted,” Steve replied. Adrianna’s hand was covered in Clint’s blood as she tried to keep the wound from gushing more blood. Thor came towards them. “ Thor please be careful he is losing a lot of blood. ” “Don’t fret lady Adrianna, he’s in good hands,” he said as he carefully hoisted Clint into his arms with no effort. Adrianna later found out that the fast guy with the silver hair was named Pietro Maximoff. Pietro and his twin sister Wanda both volunteered to be experimented on by Strucker. The Avengers faced them again in South Africa. Wanda, the youngest of the twins manipulated the minds of the team. The team was in a really bad shape after that and had to lay low for a while. After Wanda found out what Ultron was planning to do to the world, she and her brother sided with the Avengers. During the battle in Sokovia the Maximoff twins fought side by side with the Avengers, becoming part of the team. The twins managed to help evacuate the Sokovian civilians and destroy several dozen Ultron sentries. When Ultron attempted to gun down the team by using the quinjet, Pietro saw Adrianna cradling a little boy to her chest. He sped towards them to get them out of the way of the gunfire. Suddenly everything happened so slowly for Adrianna. She realized then that Pietro sped them out of harms way. He stopped when they reached the S.H.I.E.L.D platform. Pietro let go of her and the boy. A woman frantically shouted the little boys name, running over to them. She embraced her son and thank them for saving him. Adrianna turned around to see Pietro, very pale. He got shot in the shoulder while trying to get them out of the way. He collapsed to his knees, but Adrianna caught him, resting his head in her lap. He looked up into her brown eyes, finding comfort. When they reached the Avengers tower. Dr. Helen Cho successfully retrieved the bullet from his shoulder. Pietro and Wanda decided to stay on at the tower and train as Avengers. Adrianna haven’t thanked Pietro yet, when she got to the infirmary, he was already gone, she decided to check the training room. She found him there lifting weights. He was shirtless with sweat glistening on his broad chest. He didn’t hear her come in. She stared at his arms and how the muscles rippled every time he lifted the weight. His eyes was closed, but his face was focused. When he put down the weight, he looked up and saw her standing in the middle of the room. He smiled slyly as he approached her. She cleared her throat. “Are you supposed to be doing that?” she asked with slight confusion, pointing at the weights. He shrugged. “I’ve got an fast healing ability.” He saw how impressed she looked. “I suppose you didn’t come here to scold me?"His accent sent shivers down her spine. "Uh… No I realized I haven’t thanked you yet for saving my life. Thank you, sorry you got shot in the process. I feel crap for not coming sooner.” “Don’t be printsessa, but you can make it up to me,” he said smirking. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Join me for coffee tomorrow morning?” He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “You’re asking me out?” “Well yeah I asked the Captain for advice earlier on how to ask you out and he said that this is the most casual way to ask a girl out in New York. ” Adrianna laughed. He grinned sheepishly. “So what do you say?” “Definitely.” A month after going out for coffee, flirting and make out sessions in the broom closet they officially became a couple. Not because Adrianna thought she owed him, but of the undeniable passion between them. When the team found out, they constantly teased them about their relationship, especially Tony Stark.

Check out for part 2

#avengers #pietro maximoff #reader wedding tonystark thor wandamaximoff #clint barton #natasha romanoff #falcon #vision #steve rogers #fanfiction #age of ultron #maximoff fluff action #marvel mcu comics funny

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originaljediinjeans · 6 years ago

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MCU Rewatch: “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)

This post isn’t as long as the one I wrote for Avengers but it’s still pretty long.

In all fairness, after The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was fair to expect Age of Ultron to be just as good, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise that it wasn’t.

But some kind of end-credit scene would have been nice.

The Bartons’ farmhouse has a very nice kitchen

The real villain of the film is the Mind Stone. The opening shot of the film is the Sceptre. The Mind Stone created Ultron and gave him his incentive to destroy the world and attack the Avengers--whether due to some scientific reaction or intentionally. Re: my theory that the Infinity Stones should be regarded as actual “characters��, AoU demonstrates it

The main characters are: the Maximoff twins, Tony Stark, and Clint Barton.

The Avengers

By the time the film opens, the Avengers have been taking down Hydra and they’ve been unstoppable.

The team has a working relationship with JARVIS--we see at least Steve talking to him

Their teamwork is incredible. Steve is sharing his shield with Nat. I’m sure she’s not the only one but we got her doing it onscreen and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Also Clint tossing the Shield to Steve; the team throwing the robots to each other to beat up, it’s great to watch

The scene in Klaue’s hideout: the big 3 confront Ultron while Clint and Nat are waiting in the shadows

“Code Green” only happens occasionally, not every time

Does that mean Banner plays the “man in the chair” on other occasions from the QuinJet?

On their various missions, they have fought other “enhanced” people

The Avengers have their own satellite. It’s not just Veronica on there, they’ve got surveillance and stuff. It probably helps with their communications.

Wolfgang von Strucker let the other Hydra bases be found bc they didn’t concern him or his experiments. But he didn’t think the Avengers would come for them. An arrogant miscalculation.

But he’s also a coward

Hydra has always more or less wanted an army of super-humans. They weren’t satisfied with just the Winter Soldier--and how could they be?

Ulysses Klaue was in contact with Strucker and they had talked very recently

Golly these people are just disturbing

The Maximoff twins are indeed punks

Tony Stark:

By the end of the film, Steve takes Thor and Tony’s word for it that alien threats are still out there. But Steve doesn’t understand how seriously Tony takes that threat and how personally it affects him

Part of it is because no one was really listening in the scene after Ultron awakens when Tony talked about those fears. As soon as he said “Do you all remember when I went through a wormhole?” they thought he was expressing self-pity. They told him to minimize those fears at least momentarily because Ultron was the bigger issue at the moment.

Also Tony never told the rest of the team about the dream Wanda gave him.

Probably because he didn’t think they would listen. Chances are, he was right on that count.

Steve and Tony aren’t super-close friends like the way Steve and Bucky used to be. But they were friends. They had a cordial working relationship. So those of you saying Tony in Civil War saying “So was I” was an arrogant assumption are incorrect--but those of you saying Steve at least owed Tony some personal loyalty are also correct.

Tony’s dream: Why didn’t you do more? Tony isn’t just afraid of aliens returning. He’s afraid of his own inadequacy. He’s afraid of failure.

Tony knows the team doesn’t understand what he’s been through. Tony also knows that the team doesn’t understand what the possibility of a permanent solution means: because some of them don’t have real “homes” to go to. And Tony kind of wants to end the personal hell he’s been living in for the last seven years. If he can. I think by the end of this movie Tony realizes that maybe finding something to replace the Avengers isn’t the best idea

There also is kind of something suspicious about him creating an AI that immediately attacked him and his friends. Maybe the Mind Stone tapped into Tony’s self-loathing and his...distrust of the others. IDK how that would already have been written into Ultron but remember we are dealing with cosmic forces here

It’s nice that even without an AI that Tony still has working internet in his suits

Ulysses Klaue knew Tony Stark well enough to recognize one of his catchphrases. What aren’t you telling us, Tony? (Chances are I don’t wanna know, actually)

Trying to harness forces that you don’t understand to solve your personal problems and everybody else’s problems is just a terrible way to deal with life

Watching Tony attempt that is not fun.

The Banner-to-Hulk and back transformation is painful and uncomfortable

Strucker had a chitauri slug monster in that vault. Tony’s PTSD was triggered as soon as he entered the room. Wanda just pushed him over the edge.

Thor had been looking for the sceptre since SHIELD fell. You have to assume that SHIELD had it in some kind of security--or they thought they did. All Strucker had to do was to contact the right Hydra sleepers and he had it for his personal use.

The Mind Stone created Ultron. Also Strucker created the robot bodies. Tony Stark did not create Ultron. Got it?

I like the party scene because it shows how some of the 06 have a life outside of Avenging.

Are those old vets at the party people that Steve knows/has met, or did Tony invite them?

Ultron wearing the mysterious cloak is super dope and my brother agrees

One of the weaker points of this film is that a lot of exposition happens in scenes in between the big action sequences. Like, exposition that explains tiny technical details

Fury and Hill absolutely pwned that Robot

Seeing Peggy in Steve’s dream kills me. Every time.

Natasha:

Wanda convinced Steve to not trust Tony Stark

At the very least, Steve (A) was very aware that Tony dealing with something he didn’t understand behind everyone’s back had gotten them in the Ultron mess in the first place (B) he felt the need to tell Tony that doing so again was a bad idea, and (C) walking into the lab and seeing Tony already messing with it did not improve things

This whole thing really could have been avoided if someone else had taken Barton to the QuinJet and Thor had personally retrieved the scepter instead of letting Tony do it

Civil War really actually almost started over the cradle

But then Thor showed up and he didn’t say anything to explain stuff, he just did his thing with the hammer and the lighting

Also the tragedy at the end could have been avoided if someone had locked up the QuinJet, or even just hopped it over to the Helicarrier when it showed up--not like anybody had time but still

Thor saves a lady from falling--and she looks up and sees him--is that adoration in her face?

Laura tells Clint that he needs to look after the team and make sure they can work together, subtext: the world kind of depends on it

Helen Cho: *sass*

Clint has probably always wanted to bring the other Avengers to the farm.

The Barton Farm probably has really great internet security. Probably the best SHIELD had to offer before it fell.

Did anybody get any real sleep while they were at Bartons?

Because it seems to me like the only time the Avengers got any sleep was during their trans-continental flights--but even then whatever jets they were flying in probably weren’t that comfy to sleep in

Ultron takes turns with each of the Avengers to pick a fight with them. He gets real pleasure out of intimidating each of them.

Sokovians hates America. They’ve been under communist rule for most of the last century so what do you expect? They hate American capitalism. They hate Tony Stark because that’s what he stands for. They hate the Avengers because that’s what they represent--or what people in an impoverished country in eastern Europe think they represent

(My headcanon is that American businesses tried to build there and they’ve made it harder for the local economy)

At some point back in the 90s, there was a war in Sokovia and one of the sides happened to be using contraband Stark Industries weapons. That’s what happened. I think Wanda figures that out sooner or later that it wasn’t directly Tony’s fault. If she doesn’t know already.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff volunteered for Strucker’s experiments so that they could fight for their country. They joined the Avengers for the same reason. After Pietro’s death, Wanda joins the Avengers partly because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, but she also wants to continue to fight the good fight and make the world a better place

Ultron knew about the Winter Soldier and after he had destroyed the planet I’ll bet you he would have gone to look for Bucky’s remains and then chewed on the metal arm like a drumstuck

the deleted/extended version of the Water of Sight scene was kind of better. They should have at least kept in the shot of Thor drinking the Asgardian liquor to stiffen his courage

Did his buds bring him that?

The scene with Laura and Clint in the bedroom is so tender. Screw what anybody else says, I love that Clint has a family. I’ve admitted this before, but I initially wrote Clintasha into my fanfic, but it just didn’t feel right. Laura and the little Bartons are what I needed

(Because my Jedi OC who goes to the MCU is Clint’s adopted cousin)

Also, Auntie Nat. Clint and his family have adopted Natasha. I’m just in love with Clint taking in other orphan superheroes. ^_^

Nick Fury is basically the Avengers’ Dad and he knows it

Steve knows that the world he lives in now is different from the one he saved back in the 40s, and he knows that he’s a different person now. But that being said, his arc in this film is still heartbreaking to watch

Tony and Steve are both offended on a personal level that Vision can lift the hammer

When Wanda watches Vision coming out of the cradle, it isn’t “love at first sight”, it’s “okay the monster that Ultron created is out of the bag and it’s alive now, what’s it going to do?”

From my brother: Ultron should have known that Wanda Maximoff was going to “read” what was happening inside of the cradle

Also my brother: Ultron should have just flown off in the QuinJet

Ultron is just all kinds of unbalanced and he is scary

Overall, Age of Ultron isn’t as good quality as some previous MCU films but it still has a lot of epic action, it’s awesome and fun to watch

Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff:

I’ve said this before and I’ll say this again, the only reason I haven’t accepted other people’s theories about how BruceNat was fake or tried to retcon it myself is because I have made bad relationship decisions, I’ve tried to rush into relationships with people I wasn’t compatible with or didn’t know well yet, it’s part of being human

It’s still the worst part of the movie

I didn’t take it personally, I just...ugh

It’s poorly written and it makes no sense for their characters even if they do have a certain kind of working relationship. Even if you don’t ship Natasha with anyone else it’s terrible

The Hulk responds to touch from another person and it relaxes him

The Hulk does have some kind of relationship with Black Widow: he responds to her and he tries to protect her

Bruce Banner is also pretty comfortable with Natasha

Natasha’s lines in this movie really aren’t that great

We did, however, get the Red Room Flashbacks and a lot of kick-butt Black Widow action

The fact that Natasha talks about the trial of being artifically sterilized while the actress playing her was pregnant is kind of disgusting. Really disgusting, actually. But on the other hand (I think partly because of ScarJo’s pregnancy) Natasha is kind of emotional in that scene. Her voice is choking. She empathizes with Bruce and she tries to tell him as much.

If there is anything redeeming about BruceNat, it is the thematic value

Natasha values her superhero work and she values the team

Everyone was kind of hoping that taking out Strucker in Sokovia would be the last thing the Avengers needed to do. So Natasha was banking on the fact that after they had stopped Ultron they wouldn’t be needed anymore. She was seriously contemplating running away with Bruce. If there was any possibility for her to step away from it all and have a normal life, she wanted it. She wanted some of that happiness in her life.

“I had this dream that I was more than the assassin that they made me into.” Why does no one talk about this line? That is her best line.

But poor Bruce just goes through the mill in this movie.

When he comes out of the witch-dream in Africa, is he seeing Banner’s worst fear or the Hulk’s worst fear? Both?

Bruce Banner may feel some guilt with how Ultron turned out.

And the Hulk had a good look at all the terrible destruction he caused.

Did anyone else notice the soldiers with the guns surrounding the Hulk before the Hulkbuster finally took him out?

Hulk just can’t deal anymore, okay?

And neither can Bruce. So no, now is not the time to elope.

I love the Maximoff twins, okay? Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen did a great job portraying them. And I’m biased because her name is Elizabeth and I’ve been cosplaying Scarlet Witch since months before AoU came out.

In spite of its flaws, I still like how Age of Ultron still has thematic depth. Themes include: Belonging, finding home and family, misunderstanding, being a “monster” versus being “human”. All themes that tie back to the greater MCU.

But yeah, it might as well be just a giant trailer for Civil War and Infinity War.

Age of Ultron and Thor: The Dark World aren’t the best MCU movies but Stan Lee has great cameos in both of them

The way I see it, after SHIELD fell (the world was less safe w/o SHIELD). Steve Rogers learned about Hydra having all these secret bases still in operation and Hydra people who had survived/escaped/not been found yet. That was important enough to him to reluctantly leave the search for Bucky (and hope that Sam Wilson would have some luck finding a person who didn’t want to be found). He called on the other Avengers to help him. Tony Stark decided that it would be a good idea to help out...well, more than a good idea, he knew he needed to help. He may have already had a new suit ready. Pepper had to have been at least semi-supportive at the outset. I don’t know what she heard about Ultron or Sokovia but it must not have been good.

#mcu rewatch #avengers: age of ultron #we're in the endgame now #long post

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