#hank pym x fem reader

[cloverhasnobrain]

Bumblebees

A Hank Pym x reader oneshot. Gender neutral, can be read as platonic or romantic.

Trigger warnings: ... none? Bees? My rusty writing, I've been on a slump for more than a year, but Hank is like, my favourite character and literally so underrated, he deserves so much more content. And wholesome content ffs let's stop torturing my boy. Do warn me if you find anything noteworthy though. Kisses, L.

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Dr. Pym, just as his favored study subjects, could be a hard man to find for the untrained eye. Granted, he was somewhat clumsy and tended to talk to himself or the insects, which made it easier, but he was also a recluse with the tendency to be the height of a finger at times, which helped with disappearing.

It took some getting used to, but he had so many other eccentricities that in the end, it didn't matter— the difference was that, upon entering his laboratories, one had to watch their step not to squash a certain scientist under their foot.

So Henry Pym was weird, but working for him still felt like a privilege; he was one of the greatest minds of his age and arguably history, a renowned brainiac and superhero, his name looked amazing on a curriculum, and he was a surprisingly good boss, if you got past the paranoia. And the odd fits. And the temper.

You supposed you had it easier though: after Scott became the Ant-Man, Pym needed a new assistant and you needed a job. After having been staff for the Fantastic Four for a year, you seemed like a pretty reliable option; you didn't steal any tech, blow up the Baxter Building, succumb to Doctor Doom or turn to the Dark Side of the Force, and having survived Reed Richards' pompous ass, maybe you could tolerate Hank's... so that was how you'd found yourself working for the Doc, about eight months ago, which was enough time to get a bit of a grip on how his behaviour and thought progress worked.

And to know to access the tracker of his gear, in case he disappeared.

So that was the case when you got in for another day that was meant to be tranquil, cleaned the lab floor, polished the skeleton of a new regulator he'd been working on, washed beakers and test tubes, monitored the temperature on a long-brewing reaction he'd been working on, rolled your eyes fondly at the message on a post-it:

Hello, feed the ants for me please.

— Hank

And you fed the little critters without much trouble, wondering where the hell that nerd had gone— usually, he at least warned you before disappearing. If only so you didn't order food for him needlessly.

You let a breath through your nose; checking his location wouldn't hurt, maybe he could use some help. With that thought in mind, you proceeded to check the tracker he'd installed on his utility belt, blinking at the location the damn thing gave: the very edges of New York? That was weird.

Maybe spending so much time with Pym was rubbing off on you, because soon you found yourself with a backpack full of essentials on top of your rover, putting on a helmet to start through the air in the direction of wherever your crazy boss was stirring up trouble.

When the tracker gave a close enough location, it was on the roadside by the edge of some woods. What the hell was Hank doing, and where?

"Pym!", you called out, shoving your hands in your pockets and threading carefully through the soft grass, between the treeline to find a flowery clearing.

"Doctor Pym! Hank?" You startled when suddenly the world grew so much bigger and you fell amongst the grass leafs with a quiet yelp.

"Hey there," the familiar scientist grinned when you got over the whiplash, offering a hand to pull you to your feet. "Shush now, you'll startle her," he whispered when you scowled and opened your mouth to give him a few choice words for shrinking you like this, causing your forehead to crease again. Who could "she" be now?

The answer was a giant-ass bee.

"What the-" you stumbled back a bit, but the bee just looked at you lazily and fluttered its wings. Yeah, real scared, it seemed. "Pym, what are you doing?", you demanded, placing your hands on your hips.

"This is a rusty-patched bumblebee," he explained softly, looking at the buzzing insect with something akin to wonder. "They're a rare, endangered species, and now in early spring, it was reported to that entomologists society we've been publishing to that one of those little buzzers was sighted here; I had to investigate."

You looked between the blonde man and the bee in front of you, torn between feeling fond and exasperated. Of course, that was what Hank would do on his free day.

"What?", he made a face, "it really IS a rusty-patched, which is amazing because I'd never found a living one in this area. Maybe they've been moving... either way, I found the nest and now I've just been checking on and documenting each individual. They're so special, you see, they do 'buzz pollinating': in which a bee vibrates its flight muscles while clasping a flower, dislodging pollen that is difficult to access. Because of that, they're essential to wildflowers, cranberries, blueberries, and even important plantations like apples, plums, alfalfa, and they're also vital to tomatoes, seeing as they're one of the few insects that can pollinate it."

"Yeah, I have to admit, that's pretty cool."

"You wanna touch'er?"

You blinked.

"Touch her?"

"Yeah, she's so fuzzy, you wanna touch her?"

You pondered. Touching the bee felt a bit like a stupid decision, but it DID look so fuzzy...

"... yeah."

He grabbed your wrist with a bony hand, guiding it to gently pet the fuzzy thorax. You could feel the furry chest expand and fall with each breath of the bee, the muscles moving when it fluttered its wings, and though you had been fully expecting a sting, it was docile, piercing a little hole of a flower, into which it stuck its tongue to drain the precious nectar while you stroked its soft hairs and gave it little scritches between the antennae, cooing when it buzzed.

"You can try it as well, this one is edible to us," Hank murmured, copping a drop when the bumblebee finished its draining— in this size, your hands were so small you could actually hold drops of liquid due to their surface tension, like dew on a leaf, and slurping up the sweet liquid. You laughed at the sight, prompting a chuckle from him as well, and mimicked the movement.

The greedy little bee had drained almost all the nectar, but there was some you could salvage, to gingerly try and give Hank a pleasantly surprised look.

"Jeez, I get why these guys like this so much!"

The entomologist laughed at your reaction, nodding in agreement.

"Rusty-patched bumblebees are seasonal unsects. That means that the queen bee emerges from her burrow when her hibernation stops at early spring, to make her nest and lay eggs that quickly hatch into new bees. They live during summer and the entire nest dies at fall, when only the new queens survive and burrow themselves. Since it's springtime, this guy's colony still has a good while, so hopefully I can accompany their progress and try to ensure that they succeed as well, considering this species' endangered status," he continued, proceeding on a long ramble regarding bumble bees; you didn't mind. You liked it, watching him so excitedly explain such mundane things. It never failed to bring a smile to your face, when he finally forgot all the grandiose to focus on the little things that just made him happy, and that mattered more than most could guess. Like bumble bees.

Springtime was nice, because it meant cool bugs, trying new things, and helping endangered bee species on a sunny afternoon, when you worked at Pym Labs.

Fin.

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Writer's note: Thank you for reading this little oneshot, it's the first I've written in a long while and hopefully I can do more. If you want any more, have ideas or something, feel free to leave a request in the comments or asks, and I will try to provide! I'll more than eagerly write for the Les Mis fandom, Mouthwashing, Marvel— especially Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk(s), Bruce Banner, the Gamma System as a whole, Ant-Man, Hank Pym, Spider-Man and the Wasp, as those are the ones I know best, but I'm always willing to learn more and try new characters! Yes I do prompts, yes I do hcs, fluff, smut, angst, crackfics and honestly down for whatever as long as the vibe is good. Cya,

-L.

[swan-of-sunrise]

Hawkeye (Part II)

Summary: Clint reaches out to (Y/N) for help and after a visit with the physically and mentally taxed archer, she takes it upon herself to meet Hawkeye’s #1 fan and impart a little wisdom onto Clint’s young partner.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: This week's chapter is a little longer because (a) I'm not sure I'll have Part III finished by next Thursday and (b) You guys deserve it!! There's a surprise character that'll pop up in the second half of this chapter and if you've seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, then I think you'll know who it is lol thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Hawkeye (Part II) December 21st, 2024 Apartment of Moira Brandon, East Village (Previous Chapter)

Out of all the Avengers she’d been introduced to during that fateful party at the Avengers Tower so many years ago, (Y/N) always had a secret soft spot for Clint Barton; he was equal parts kind and sarcastic, quickly noting the anxiety she’d been desperately trying to mask from the moment she arrived and taking the time to get to know her while simultaneously directing playful jabs at his fellow teammates. Their first meeting and team-up in the subsequent conflict with Ultron coupled with Natasha’s endless stories from their days of working together at S.H.I.E.L.D. cemented (Y/N)’s unbreakable trust in the archer, and it was that trust that led her to an average-looking East Village apartment building only four days before Christmas with a priceless and top-secret piece of S.W.O.R.D. technology tucked away in her messenger bag.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice, (Y/L/N),” Clint smiled as he ushered her into the temporary safe house, checking up and down the hall before locking the door and leading her into the cozy living room. “See any of those idiot Tracksuits tailing you?”

(Y/N) shrugged her winter coat off and draped it over the back of the couch with a humorless chuckle. “Nope, but I almost wish I had; I could’ve used a good laugh or two after that horrendous traffic jam on the Brooklyn Bridge.” She folded her pink scarf in half and tossed it on top of her coat, meeting Clint’s eyes with a sardonic smirk beginning to spread across her face. “Wouldn’t you know, some dumb-ass archer decided to impale a Pym Particle-infused arrow into the Manhattan Bridge and create commute hell for anyone traveling in or out of Brooklyn?”

Rolling his eyes, Clint flopped down onto the well-worn couch and sighed in exasperation; he looked exhausted, with darkened circles under his eyes and a noticeable cut on his forehead. “Still a smart-ass, I see. For your information, I shot a Pym Particle-infused arrow at a regular arrow and then it impaled itself into the bridge.”

“Well, either way, I thought you’d like to know that Scott got his ass chewed out by Hank for that little stunt,” She replied in amusement and sat herself down on the couch beside him, taking a moment to adjust her sweater over her small baby bump before rummaging through her messenger bag. “Apparently, Hank’s not too fond of his life’s work being used for – and I quote – ‘stupid shit you see on the eleven o’clock news.’”

The archer scoffed at that. “I once saw the guy use Pym Particles to enlarge a goddamn chicken sandwich, but whatever.”

(Y/N) laughed as she withdrew a small metal case and handed it over to Clint. “Back-up hearing aid, as requested; my coworker said that this is one of the best on the market, so you should be well-covered if yours ends up breaking again.” He nodded in thanks and slipped the case into his pocket. Her former teammate’s recent hearing loss as a result of years of work as a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy, Avenger and vigilante inspired her to seek out Brooklyn College’s underfunded but resilient disability resource center; she studied ASL and learned enough to not only begin teaching Steve and Carina, but to also pre-film her lectures for any hard of hearing student who decided to enroll in her Introduction to American Popular Culture course. “And I looked into that socialite guy for you…” Activating the transparent S.W.O.R.D. tablet – a parting gift from Nick Fury before he traveled up to the organization’s newly-built space station – (Y/N) allowed it to scan her handprint and read off the information she’d collected. “Jack Duquesne, born into the obscenely-wealthy Duquesne family that’s apparently descended from European aristocracy. Since he’s seemingly never worked a day in his life, he’s had enough free time to become an expert swordsman and accrue a pretty impressive sword collection; is that what he was doing at that black market auction the other night?”

Clint nodded as he studied the images on the tablet’s screen. “He wanted to add the Ronin’s sword to his collection; according to Kate, he ran off with it after the Tracksuits crashed the auction, and then he almost took my head off with it when we broke into her mom’s penthouse this morning.” When (Y/N) thoughtfully tilted her head to the side, his frown deepened. “What?”

“When I did a little more digging, I found out that Duquesne is listed as the CEO of Sloan Limited. It’s a shell company, one that launders money for none other than-”

“The Tracksuit Mafia…” The archer exhaled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing a hand over his forehead. “Kate thinks that Jack Duquesne killed his uncle Armand. At first, I thought the idea of him becoming her stepfather someday was clouding her judgement but it’s looking like her instincts might’ve been right.”

Taking note of the stiffness in his movements and the weary tone of his voice, (Y/N) tucked the tablet back into her messenger bag as she gave him a sympathetic smile. “None of what I found out really helped you, did it?”

“It helped, (Y/L/N), it really did…” Clint hastily reassured her. “But I’m no closer to being able to go home for Christmas. I’ve got the suit and the sword, but Maya Lopez and the Tracksuits still have me and Kate connected to the Ronin and there’s a good chance that they’ve got Laura’s Rolex; I can’t leave until I track it down and figure out a way to stop the Tracksuits from targeting Kate, and I’ve gotta do all that before Kingpin gets involved.” He sat back and offered her a small smile. “The Barton Family Christmas hit a little speed-bump, as you can tell, so how’s the Rogers-(Y/L/N) Family Christmas going so far?”

“Well, Carina helped us decorate cookies and gingerbread houses for the vets down at the VA hospital yesterday, and then she decided that our living room wall could use a thick coat of frosting as well.” Clint burst into laughter and (Y/N) couldn’t help but join him. “Steve’s convinced that she’s got the makings of an artist, but I just think she likes to keep us on our toes. And this little gumball…” Beaming, she rubbed a hand across her bump. “Moved for the first time this morning.”

“That’s amazing! Boy or girl?”

“We don’t know yet, but we’re gonna open the envelope my doctor sealed for us together on Christmas Day and find out.” Memories of her first pregnancy and the overwhelming loneliness she struggled with unwittingly came to the forefront of her mind, but she forced herself to ignore them as she continued. “I’ve never really been one for big gender reveals, but after Carina’s…shall we say, unconventional birth and everything we’ve been through since, I just wanted this pregnancy to be special for us.”

A look of understanding crossed Clint’s bruised face, as he was one of the few Avengers who could empathize with desiring balance between a normal family life and the superhero life they’d been thrust into, but he merely smirked and jokingly replied, “Well, if you’re still thinking of baby names, I’ve always thought that Clint Rogers-(Y/L/N) had a nice ring to it.”

(Y/N) snorted in amusement. “Oh, really? You know, I’ve heard the same exact thing about Sam Rogers-(Y/L/N), James Bucky Rogers-(Y/L/N), Bruce Rogers-(Y/L/N), Thor Rogers-(Y/L/N), Korg Rogers-(Y/L/N) and Rocket Rogers-(Y/L/N).”

“I’m not usually one to judge, but I’ll totally judge you if you name your kid after a talking raccoon or a big pile of rocks.” When his chuckles died down, the archer’s blue-grey eyes softened as they looked between her face and the bump she was unconsciously cradling. “I’m really happy for you guys, and I know…I know that Nat and Tony would be, too.”

After flashing him a thankful smile, (Y/N) leaned her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her temple against the palm of her hand. “So, what’s this Kate Bishop like?”

“A pain in my ass,” Clint bluntly replied and when she lightly scoffed at his answer, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m serious! That kid’s cocky, reckless and she talks way too much…but I can’t deny that she’s a damn good archer and her instincts are sharp.” His brow arched as a thoughtful expression crossed his injured features. “You know, she reminds me a little of you, actually; she put that suit on to protect innocent people from the Tracksuits without a single thought for her own safety, just like how you volunteered to help an Air Force vet and a couple of wanted Avengers save the world from Hydra without a single thought for your own safety.”

(Y/N), detecting a hint of concern in her friend’s tone of voice, nodded in understanding. “You’re worried about her.”

Clint nodded. “Damn right I am. You were twenty-seven when you helped Steve, Nat and Sam stop Project Insight, and Kate’s only twenty-two; you understood the risks of getting involved in this sort of life, but Kate…she’s got blinders on. I tried to make her understand that I’m not a role model, that I’m not someone that people should look up to and that this life I’ve led for the past twenty years isn’t a game but like I already told you, she’s cocky and reckless.”

“She doesn’t know about the Ronin, does she?” When Clint shook his head, (Y/N) bit her lip and carefully contemplated her next words before speaking. “Maybe the reason you can’t get through to her is because you haven’t shown her the real you and she can sense that you’re hiding something from her; if you open up to her now, then you might be able to stop her from getting too deep into all this.” He shrugged his shoulder, but she could see that she hadn’t convinced him to confide in his reluctant partner; she glanced down at her wristwatch and hummed to herself. “Well, I should probably head out now if I want to beat the commute traffic to Brooklyn…”

“Yeah, and I should give Laura and the kids a call before I pass out from exhaustion.” Clint helped her to her feet and gave her a fond smile as she pulled her coat and scarf back on. “It’s been good seeing you, (Y/L/N), and I really appreciate your help. Tell Steve that I said hi and that he should totally name his second-born after one of his oldest and coolest friends, okay?”

“Sure thing, Hawkeye,” (Y/N) chuckled, slinging the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder as they walked over to the apartment’s front door and giving her friend a hug, careful of his bruised and battle-worn limbs as she did. “Good luck, Clint. You’re going to fix this and you’re going to make it home for your Barton Family Christmas and on Christmas Day, we’ll give you guys a call to let you know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” With a smile and a teasing salute, Clint opened the door and watched her head towards the building’s elevator before retreating into the temporary safe house.

(Y/N) stepped into the elevator and after the door slid closed, the uneasy feeling that had begun to form when the topic of Kate Bishop came up only seemed to deepen as the elevator descended. It was foolish to further embroil herself in Clint’s struggle against the Tracksuits; not only was she entering her pregnancy’s second trimester but if a powerful man like Kingpin caught wind that she was involved, it could put Steve’s secret life in jeopardy and their family’s safety at risk. But it was Clint’s comparison of Kate to (Y/N) that compelled her to pull the S.W.O.R.D. tablet out of her messenger bag and research the young archer’s cell phone number.

“I sure hope that I’m doing the right thing, Nat,” She murmured under her breath as she worked. “For Kate and for Clint’s sakes…”

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

An hour later, (Y/N) was seated at one of the rickety metal tables outside Greenwich Village’s own Joe’s Pizza, patiently waiting for the twenty-two-year-old to work through her star-struck awe while she enjoyed a slice of pizza and scratched the young archer’s rescue Golden Retriever behind his ear.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe I’ve met two Avengers in less than a week! Is this, like, some sort of a superhero test? Or a trial period or somethin’? I mean, I’ve only been in four-ish fights so far…or wait, was it five? I don’t know, I can’t really remember ‘cause I’m pretty much running on caffeine and adrenaline at this point,” Kate nervously chuckled, a little out of breath as she finally stopped rambling and attempted to rearrange her excited features into a nonchalant smile. “…So, um, what can I do for you, Ms. (Y/L/N)?”

“Please, just call me (Y/N).” Smiling, (Y/N) took another bite of her pizza slice and used it to point at Kate. “I’ve heard a lot about you from our mutual friend, so I wanted to meet you for myself.”

The young archer’s brows raised almost comically. “R-Really? Wow, that’s really…was it all good things you heard?”

“Mm-hmm, and I also saw the video of you rescuing this good boy on the news.” The one-eyed Golden Retriever nuzzled his face against her lap and perked up when she tore her slice of pizza in half, wolfing it down in record time once she offered it to him. “He’s lucky that someone as skilled as you came along when you did.” After watching the dog enjoy his chunk of pizza, she looked back up at Kate and sobered as her eyes fixated on the steri-strips that closed the lacerations that were scattered across her youthful face. “Actually, I asked you to meet me here because I wanted to talk to you about this case you’re working with Clint.”

Kate slumped in her seat, a dejected frown beginning to form on her injured face while she took a halfhearted bite of her pepperoni pizza slice. “You think I should stay home and let Clint handle it, don’t you? That’s what my mom thinks, too; she didn’t say anything about it to me, but I know she thinks I’m crazy for doing this. I mean, I’m just a civilian and Clint’s a freaking Avenger, so I guess I see why it’s nuts that I’m helping him out, but I…I can’t just sit back when I know that I can help.”

Smiling a little to herself, (Y/N) dabbed at her lips with a napkin and shook her head. “Kate, I’m the last person on the planet who’d ever tell you to stay home and ignore the instinct to help. I was just a civilian when I helped Steve, Nat and Sam take down Hydra – an unpublished historical-fiction novelist with a part-time job at the V.A., who just so happened to be one of only two people in D.C. that a couple of wanted Avengers could trust. They tried their hardest to make me stay home and out of danger but I refused, because I knew that I could help them. I had to help, no matter what, and nothing they’d say could change my mind.”

“So, you understand why I’m still helping Clint?” The young archer’s expression brightened and she sat up in her seat. “That’s great!” When (Y/N) didn’t immediately answer, her head tilted to the side in confusion. “…Isn’t it?”

“You and I are a lot alike and because I see so much of myself in you, I wanted to tell you what I wish someone had told me ten years ago, when I took my first steps into the life of an Avenger.” (Y/N)’s fingers caressed the content Golden Retriever’s fur, taking small comfort in his calming presence as she continued. “When you choose to spend your life trying to help people, there’s going to be consequences you’ll have to face. Some of the consequences won’t come as a surprise – the fights and battles have taken a physical and mental toll on me, for example, and I’ll have to live with their effects on my body and on my mind for the rest of my life – but others will. From the moment it began, my entire career’s been called into question; you see, people assume that my success is due to my long-time association with the Avengers and not the writing skills I’ve worked my ass off developing and perfecting. I lost any chance at anonymity or a private life when I announced my engagement to Steve Rogers. I became estranged from my family, because they didn’t approve of my relationship or my association with the Avengers. I went through the joy of befriending some of the kindest and most misunderstood people in the world, and then I was forced to mourn them in a way that no one but my fellow Avengers could ever understand; the world lost Iron Man, Black Widow, Black Panther and the Vision, but I lost Tony, Nat, T’Challa and Vis.”

Kate bowed her head and stared down at the discarded pizza crust on her plate. “And you lost Steve, too.”

(Y/N) nodded mutely, careful to keep up the ruse that Steve Rogers died in the Battle of Earth and wasn’t currently wrapping Christmas gifts with their fifteen-month old daughter in their Brooklyn home. “When you face the threats that Clint and I have faced, you have to accept that there’s going to be things that you lose along the way. I don’t tell you any of this to dissuade you, Kate, far from it; I’ve always believed that if you feel that you can help, then it’s your moral obligation to do so.” She reached across the table and rested a comforting hand atop Kate’s, giving her a small smile when her eyes finally met hers. “But it’s important that you know that this life isn’t easy, and it’s only fair that you hear it from one of the only Avengers who stumbled into this life the way you have. Do you understand?”

Kate nodded, and the brief silence that filled the air as (Y/N) finished her slice of pizza was broken by a timid question. “Do you know who the Ronin is?”

“…I know who they used to be,” (Y/N) carefully replied. “But if you want to know more about the Ronin, then you’ll have to ask Clint.”

“Urgh, I knew you’d say something cryptic like that. Hey, what’re Clint’s favorite Christmas movies and does he have any strong opinions about ugly Christmas sweaters?”

After (Y/N) helped Kate plan out the perfect mini-Christmas party for a homesick Clint, she bid the young archer and her energetic Golden Retriever goodbye and watched them both stroll down the sidewalk with a fond smile on her face. It was clear to her that Kate’s heart was in the right place, and that perhaps she was the perfect person to help Clint move on from the Ronin as well as resolve the ongoing conflict with the Tracksuits. I just hope they’ll both stay safe, she thought as she anxiously bit her lower lip and stroked her small baby bump, her mind preoccupied with a myriad of the worst possible outcomes to the archers’ partnership.

“Here you go, Ms. (Y/L/N): one large chicken and olive pizza to go,” The young worker’s sudden appearance shook (Y/N) out of her heavy thoughts and after setting the pizza box down, he started to bus the table with a small smile on his face. “Need any packets of Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes?”

“No, thank you, I-” (Y/N) cut herself off when her eyes caught sight of a familiar well-worn paperback sticking out of the teenager’s back pocket and she felt herself begin to grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a copy of For Queen and Country with its original cover art. How’re you enjoying it?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “It’s one of my favorite books!” The young worker’s gaze briefly met hers as a light blush dusted his cheeks; there was a brief flash of grief in his brown eyes – a deep sort of grief that looked entirely out of place in the eyes of a teenager – but it soon vanished when a bashful expression graced his features. “I’ve been a fan for a pretty long time, Ms. (Y/L/N), and I was actually workin’ up the courage to come out here and ask you for your autograph. I don’t wanna bug you or overstep-”

“Of course I’ll autograph your copy!” (Y/N)’s smile widened as he stammered out a brief thanks and scrambled to hand her the paperback and his server’s pen. “Who should I make it out to?”

“Peter, Peter Parker.” Again, (Y/N) was struck by the strange emotion that flashed across his face, but what gave her pause was the sudden familiarity that his name brought her; she couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the teenager’s name tugged at the far reaches of her mind. Doing her best to shrug the unsettled feeling off, she jotted down a brief greeting and signed her name before blowing on the drying ink and handing the book and pen back with a smile. “Thanks a lot, Ms. (Y/L/N)! It was good seein’ you agai-um, sorry, I think my manager’s callin’ me, happy holidays!”

Peter Parker, who’d abruptly turned as white as a sheet, shoved his book and pen into his pocket and scooped up the dirty dishes before practically sprinting back inside. (Y/N)’s brow arched at his odd shift in behavior, but gathered up her pizza box and strode down the sidewalk to where she’d been lucky enough to park her yellow Volkswagen Bug. After securing the pizza in the car’s front trunk (or ‘frunk,’ as Sam liked to jokingly call it), she carefully climbed into the driver’s seat and waited a moment for the baby to settle down before dialing Steve’s cell phone number.

“Hey, sunshine! How was your visit with Clint?”

“Productive, for the most part; he has an idea of who the middle-man between Kingpin and the Tracksuits is, but he’s still not sure how to stop them from targeting him and his new friend Kate or uncovering Laura’s past. I also had a quick chat with Kate over lunch, which is why I’m bringing home a chicken and olive pizza from Joe’s; you should also know that your offspring conned me into buying it.”

Steve chuckled. “Oh, they did, huh?”

“Mm-hmm, and you should count yourself lucky that it was only pizza; at four months pregnant with Cari, I was craving Flamin’ Hot Cheetos dipped in vanilla ice cream,” (Y/N) snickered as her husband made a sound of disgust on the other end of the call. “Oh, and the strangest thing happened as I was leaving! Do we know a Peter Parker from anywhere?”

“…I don’t think so, but the name sounds awfully familiar.”

“Right? There’s something strange about it but I can’t put my finger on-” A recognizable babbling in the background of the call caused her to stifle a giggle. “Someone’s feeling chatty today, aren’t they?”

“I think that last episode of Sesame Street might’ve riled her up a bit; you know how much she loves when the Count makes an appearance,” Her husband remarked before calling out, “Cari, did you wanna talk to Mama? Mama’s on the phone right now.”

The gibberish grew louder as the infant toddled over and happily exclaimed into the phone. “Mama!”

“Hi, lemon drop! I’ll be home really soon, okay? Mama loves you!” (Y/N) smiled to herself, listening to their daughter’s incoherent mumbling grow faint as Steve regained control of the cell phone. “I should be home in a half an hour or so, depending on how backed up the bridge is.”

“Fingers crossed that all the city’s archers decide to leave the Brooklyn Bridge un-impaled for the afternoon commute.” Steve joked. “You can tell me all about Clint and his new partner over pizza and my famous green smoothies. I love you, sunshine.”

She gave her phone an exaggerated air-kiss that made Steve huff out a quiet laugh. “I love you too, sweetheart, and I’ll see you soon.”

After hanging up the call and tucking her cell phone into her messenger bag, (Y/N) started the car’s engine and turned up the radio, the local station’s Christmas playlist already playing through the speakers. “Okay, gumball, your daddy promised to make us a smoothie, so let’s get this show on the road.”

Pulling away from the curb, (Y/N) hummed along to the upbeat Elton John track in the hopes that the music would distract from the unsettling feeling beginning to take form in the pit of her stomach, but the tune wasn’t enough to make her shake the suspicion that someone was watching her from afar.

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

A/N: Who do you guys think was watching (Y/N)?? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ziGMhEsAw833GQ9eV44nR?si=6dfead09c76848d5 

Hawkeye (Part III)

Stumblin’ In Book VII: “Superhero Snapshots” Masterlist 

Tagging:  @mrs-obrien​​​​​ @lahoete​​​​​ @awkward117 @cminr @natdrunk​​​​ @momc95​​​​​ @savedbystyle​​​​​ @miraculouscloud @awkwardnesshabitat​​​​​ @marinettepotterandplagg​​​​​ @mangosandmimosas @supersouthy @benakenalove​​​​​ @brooke0297​​​​�� @hufflepeople​​​​​ @becausewelie​​​​​ @outoftheregular​​​​​​ @junipermurdock​​​​​ @ladydmalfoy @mads-weasley​​​​​ @username23345@crist1216​​​​​ @capswife​​​​​ @lilmschild​​​​​ @avngrsinitiative @crowleysqueenofhell​​​​​ @y-napotat​​​ @mary1raven​​​​​ @groovyqueer​​​​​ @ljej95​​​​​ @innersublimefury​​​ @prettysbliss​​​​​​  

[m0chaminx]

Hi, i saw that your requests were open and I was wondering if you could Scott lang x fem reader. Could the reader have a pixi cut cuz most fem reader have long hair but Scott and Y/N were having their wedding anniversary but it interrupted by the reader growing (like susan from MVA) and Scott is there comforting her as she outgrow the building they were in but fluffy ending please and thank you :))

*•.¸♡Request : Hi, i saw that your requests were open and I was wondering if you could Scott lang x fem reader. Could the reader have a pixi cut cuz most fem reader have long hair but Scott and Y/N were having their wedding anniversary but it interrupted by the reader growing (like susan from MVA) and Scott is there comforting her as she outgrow the building they were in but fluffy ending please and thank you :))

*•.¸♡Prompt : none

*•.¸♡𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 : none

*•.¸♡Paring : Scott Lang x F!reader

*•.¸♡𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 : Scott is clumsy and sometimes you have to pay for it.

*•.¸♡Words : 205

"This wasn't what I had planned," You complained, resting your oversized arms on the edge of the Pym cabin.

"Just hold on," Scott yelled unable to contain his laughter. Scott reached for his phone and tried to take a few photos.

"Scott I swear to god," You threatened. It was meant to be a good day, your anniversary but no Scott had to fucking fumble and he accidentally flung a Pym tech sphere at you and you shot through the ceiling. "Can you fix this?"

Scott smiled and nodded, "Yeah yeah, I can fix it." Scott stood under you and flicked a similar sphere at you and you quickly shrunk in size. Scott caught you when you fell just a few feet, smiling at you with a dorky smile. "Fixed it."

You slapped Scott's chest and you stood up straight wiping your hands on your now dusty jacket. "You a dick," You scolded trying to brush the roof debris out of your short hair.

"But you still married me," Scott said with a smile. You rolled your eyes and kissed him softly.

"Dork," You mumbled and pulled away, looking at the hole you made in the side of the roof. "We should probably tell Hank."

ﾟ°☆Page navigation

[sunlightdances]

At Peace (Steve Rogers x Reader One Shot)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader Rating/genre: Romance, a bit of angst. PG for a single swear word. Summary: Sort of Endgame compliant (we’re rewriting a scene and keeping some folks alive). When Steve and Tony go to Camp Lehigh to get the Tesseract, they’re almost caught. Steve turns to the one person he thinks can help them get out unscathed, and finally closes the one remaining door to his past so he can move on in the future. Author’s Note: No Endgame hate here, please! I didn’t hate the ending for Steve, but didn’t love it either. This is my take on what could have happened with the addition of a reader insert. I came up with this idea in the shower and wrote it in 2 hours so pls be nice if it sucks!!!!

“You know,” Tony muses on Steve’s right, “You’re not normally the one with the stupid ideas. It’s a nice change, honestly.”

Steve rolls his eyes, but the pair keep walking, eyes downcast, hats pulled low over their foreheads. Yes, this is probably the worst idea and it’s sure to screw the whole plan. But what else do they have to lose?

“That woman from the elevator is already onto us, so this is our best shot.”

“It’s our best shot to get arrested, yes.”

Steve stops short, jaw clenching hard. “Do you have a better idea?”

Tony sighs. “I guess not. Come on, let’s go meet your woman--”

Steve stops short again, his tone icy. “Don’t--” He shuts his eyes. “Please, Tony, for once in your life, leave the talking to me.” There’s a sad undertone to his voice, a kind of desperation that Tony doesn’t hear often, so he nods, leaving the jokes behind.

Steve finds the office door he’s looking for, and takes a deep breath before opening it and shoving Tony inside, locking the door behind the both of them.

Peggy stands, affronted. “Excuse me, this is a private office--” She stops as Steve steps into the light, her eyes widening for half a second before they narrow.

Steve isn’t sure which Peggy to expect. He doesn’t think she’s going to break down and cry, but he’s also not entirely sure she’s not going to shoot him either. Tony takes a large step back when she glances down and grabs the first thing she can threaten them with - a letter opener.

“Tell me who you are, right now.” Her voice is stern, though a little shaky.

“Peggy, put it down.”

“If you think--”

“It’s me, Peg. It’s Steve.”

He sees her shoulders sag, though she doesn’t drop her guard. “You’re dead.”

“Not anymore,” Tony mutters, and Steve elbows him hard in the ribs.

“I know this is hard to believe, but I can prove it,” Steve says, taking a small step forward, heart tightening when she takes an imperceptible step backward. “That last conversation we had, when I was in the plane. I told you I’d meet you at the Stork Club. That we’d have the band play something slow so I wouldn’t step on your feet.” He smiles softly. “Remember?”

“Of course I remember, you idiot.” She says, voice choked, a single tear making its way down her cheek, despite the letter opener she’s still brandishing.

“I don’t have a lot of time, but I need your help,” Steve says as he gets a step closer, close enough to gently grasp her wrist and lower it.

“Steve.” She says on a sob, and then she’s in his arms.

.

.

.

“Let me get this straight. You need to steal the cube and something from Hank Pym’s lab?” Peggy asks incredulously.

Tony snorts. “After everything you’ve heard, and that’s the part you’re not sure about?”

She gives Tony a look. “Mr. Stark, you may be your father’s son, but you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t find your jokes all that hilarious at the moment.”

Steve bites back a smile. “I know we’re asking a lot,” he says, serious once more, “but the entire world is at stake. Please, we have to get out of here unseen. If we fail at this--”

“We’re not going to.” Tony says, firm. “There’s no other option.” He meets Steve’s eyes. “Whatever it takes, remember?”

Steve swallows. All the arguments and years lost between him and Tony evaporate. Just like that, they’re brothers in arms once more. “Whatever it takes,” he murmurs.

Meeting Peggy’s gaze, she looks between the two, and Steve thinks he sees in the moment when it clicks for her how serious this is. “First of all, stop talking about the future in front of me. I’ve read enough novels to know that isn’t a good idea, and the two of you don’t need to get in any more trouble, clearly.”

“So you’ll help?”

She fidgets. “Yes. I’ll help you. I’ll schedule a meeting with Howard and Hank so they won’t be near their labs when you go down. I can’t do much about security, so you’ll have to be quick and stay out of sight.”

Steve nods, “Thank you.”

.

.

.

It’s not until over an hour later, after some sneaking around, some nearly getting caught, and Peggy having to save their asses yet again, that he gets a minute alone with her.

“I just wanted to-- I have to go back, but I couldn’t leave without telling you something.”

“Steve, don’t.”

“No, it’s-- it’s nothing that’s going to change anything.” Steve smiles. “I just want you to know-- I loved you, Peg. Still do, really.” He takes a deep breath. “Probably always will.”

“Steve,” it’s a warning, but there’s old feelings there that he can hear in her voice. “Then I need you to know -- I’m happy, Steve. You saved my life. You saved all of our lives. And I miss you terribly. Underneath it all, you were my closest friend.” Another tear slips out. “And I love you too, Steve. But you have to know that I’m happy. I found someone, and I have a career that I love… you did exactly what you were supposed to do. You saved the world.”

Steve’s eyes are a little glassy, but he hardens his resolve. “I have someone, now. In my time.” He shrugs. “I think, anyway. It’s been-- what we’re going through right now has been hard. I haven’t had the guts to have the conversation with her yet.”

Peggy smiles. “Still have no idea how to talk to women?”

Steve rolls his eyes, but chuckles. “I guess not.”

“You should be happy, Steve.” Peggy’s voice is soft.

Steve’s mind drifts to you, how happy you already make him, even if you don’t realize how much. He has so much he needs to talk to you about, but he has to keep you alive first. He has to keep himself and his family alive.

“Thanks, Peggy.” He says, and pulls her into his arms one last time.

.

.

.

They did it.

They actually fucking did it.

Steve has never been more tired in his entire life. He’s exhausted, and every single bone in his body hurts. He’s on his knees next to Tony who is barely hanging on, and has to take a minute to let it all sink in.

They won.

There’s voices all around him, frantic, asking about the cradle, and if the medical bay survived the explosion, and Steve has to fight to get back into Captain mode and save his friend’s life.

On his right, Natasha limps forward, her cheek bleeding, but a bittersweet smile on her face. “You did it,” she whispers, and Steve shakes his head.

“We did.”

He and Scott and Rhodey get Tony somewhere safe, and Bruce manages to stabilize him, despite knowing he’s going to lose functionality in a lot of his arm.

“I’ll just get one to match Tin Man, it’s fine,” Tony mumbles, and that’s when they all know he’s going to be okay. Leaving Pepper and Peter with Tony, Steve sets off to find the one person he had to force himself not to look for during the fight.

Some of the Wakandans are setting up a triage area in parts of the compound, and he passes through them as he scans the crowd until he spots you.

You’re there with Sam, his arm slung around your waist, yours over his shoulder, keeping all your weight off one leg. His breath leaves him when your eyes meet his, and he’s moving before he can even comprehend what he’s doing.

Your name escapes on a breath when he’s close enough, and then you’re letting go of Sam, almost collapsing into Steve’s arms.

“Steve,” you say, “You’re alive.”

“So are you,” he says, your face pressing into the side of his neck as you embrace. Steve shudders, thinking how close it could have been to losing you forever.

He finally has closure with Peggy, but he almost didn’t have it with you. He can’t make that mistake again.

He meets Sam’s eyes and nods, holding you to his side as he tries to give a half-hug to his friend, his heart overflowing with relief.

“Bucky?” He stutters, grief eating at him when he doesn’t see his oldest friend anywhere amongst the crowd.

“He was helping people get inside,” you say quietly, “He’s probably in there.”

Steve’s eyes fall closed at one more confirmation that so far everyone he loves is in one piece. “Of course he is,” he laughs quietly, “he’s just hoping there’s nurses there.”

“I heard that,” a gruff voice says behind him, and then there it is, the final piece of his family clicking into place.

The residences are part of the only bit of the compound that wasn’t destroyed by the explosion. Steve hasn’t been to his room in months - only when he would come by to check on Nat, and when they started work on time travel.

It’s a little strange for him to be in here now, but his focus isn’t on that. You were exhausted and after being told (none too gently) by Pepper that there wasn’t anything else for him to do now, he carried you back here.

He can’t seem to let you out of his sight.

He’s bone tired too, and the prospect of a nap with you is too much to resist. He carries you bridal style through the dark living area and kitchen until he reaches his bedroom, the sheets tucked neatly into the corners, army style.

You stir in his arms slightly, but otherwise stay asleep. He sets you down and gets you situated before straightening, his eyes committing every bit of this scene to memory. You have stitches on your cheekbone and dark circles under your eyes, and Steve curses himself for not checking in with you more, making sure you were okay…

He shakes his head and tries to quiet his thoughts. A shower first, and then he’s going to join you, propriety be damned.

His own body is tired, the serum working overtime to heal the cuts and bruises scattered across his arms and torso. His left hand is likely broken, he thinks, remembering it shaking when he tried to take off his broken shield.

He’ll worry about it in the morning. Right now he has more important things to sort out.

He’s only gone for fifteen minutes, but it’s enough for you to be awake when he comes back to the bedroom, and there’s a minute where you both stop and stare at each other, time suspended.

“Hey,” you say, and he crosses the room to sit at the edge of the bed.

“Hi.”

“Long day,” you sigh, winking at him.

“The longest.” He agrees, moving a little closer until you’re shoulder to shoulder.

“I can’t believe we actually pulled it off.”

Steve shakes his head. “I know. I’m-- You have no idea how relieved I was to see you.” He hears Peggy’s voice in his head telling him to finally have this conversation. He can’t put it off anymore. He’s done wasting time.

“Me too, Steve.”

He reaches for your hand, lacing your fingers together. “I hope I’m not getting this all wrong. I-- I’ve been meaning to thank you.”

Your hand shakes a little in his. “Thank me?”

He smiles, nods. “Yeah. Thank you for… for giving me something else to fight for. Something that I never thought I’d have.”

“Steve…”

“Wait, just-- before you say anything, let me get this out.” He tells you everything, about how the trip back in time was with Scott and Tony, and how he had to go back even further and about Peggy. “She basically told me to quit moping and just tell you how I feel.”

You laugh, but it’s a little watery. Steve plows on, “I fell in love with you years ago, and I should have told you from the start. Either one of us could have died today, and I can’t let any more time go by without you knowing how much I care about you.”

Your throat is too tight to say anything, but you pull him close, arms around his torso, soaking up his warmth.

“I’m sorry I’ve been distant,” he says quietly, lips brushing against your neck where his face is pressed. “The last few months… you didn’t deserve that.”

“You were focused on trying to save the world,” you scoff. “As excuses go, that’s a pretty good one.”

Steve pulls back a little so he can meet your eyes. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, but as long as you’re here, I think I can handle it.” He smiles, that crooked smile you’ve grown so fond of. “I’m done trying to make up for the mistakes of the past. I’m ready to move on.”

“Me too, Steve.” You whisper. “I love you.”

Steve knows there’s more to do - he has to help his family and the rest of the world adjust to their new lives post-Thanos, but knowing he finally has all the broken pieces of his life safe, alive, and by his side for the process? It’s more than he could have hoped for.

Going to sleep that night with you in his arms, he finally feels at peace.

[a-walk-in-silence]

The Final Coffee... For Now

Pairing: Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Word Count: 6.1k

Summary: The battle is over, and life is starting to pick up the pieces. You have one final mission complete, and there's only one person you can imagine having by your side during the mission.

Warnings: Crying, mentions of injuries, mentions of death, life crisis, there's probably a curse word or two knowing me, lewd comments

A/N: AT LAST, THE FINAL SEQUEL! This has been a wild ride and, honestly, I have been enjoying it so much! As always, I hope you enjoy! Btw if I do any followup stories, I will 100% be tagging the taglist I have, but none of the followups are intended to be a continuation, just a "fill-in-the-blanks" of sorts. Idk but I have ideas and if anybody ever requests anything I will for sure post it

Previous Part | Masterlist

You woke up in a hospital bed, a hunched over Steve sitting in the chair by your bedside table. Your eyes skipped over him and saw three figures all squished together on the couch, reading one of Morgan's favorite books. Your back was in pain, so you shifted. But the sound alerted everyone in the room, and suddenly you were surrounded.

A bundle of energy flew into bed with you, her arms wrapping around you. "Mom, you're okay," Penny said, her voice shaking. Your hand slowly brushed against her head, trying to calm down her tears while fighting to stay awake. "When Uncle Tony said you were hurt, I was so scared."

"I'm okay, don't worry. Just some bruising, maybe some nerve damage. Nothing serious." You smiled at Tony and Steve as they both managed to wrangle in a scared Morgan. "Hey, Morgoona. It's okay, I don't bite."

She looked up at you with those big saucer eyes. She was scared but she still made it the few steps towards your bed. "Auntie Y/N?"

You nodded, smiling at her. "Auntie Y/N. This is like the time your daddy ended up in the hospital because he burned his hand. Nothing serious. Just needed a little rest."

After a few more timid steps, she reached up, trying to climb onto the bed. Tony helped her get up, and she crawled the rest of the way to join you. "Daddy said you were really hurt."

"Well your daddy lied. Not surprising given how much he overreacts." Tony rolled his eyes at your remark, but you continued. "I just overworked myself. I had a really full day of running around, fighting bad guys. But it was worth it in the end. Everyone made it back. Including…" Your eyes flicked over to Penny. "Your dad. What happened when he called?"

She bit her lip before curling further into your side. "He wanted to know what happened to me. To him. Uncle Happy explained it briefly, and I told him about you taking me in. He then said he wanted to come see me, take me back to New York City and get to know me again."

Your heart broke in your chest. Of course Bobby would want to have Penny back in his life. For some reason, the thought hadn't even crossed your mind. It was stupid to assume you would have her forever. But it didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.

"Well of course, sweetie. Your dad missed so much of your life, I can imagine he doesn't want to miss anymore." You put on a brave face for her, but you knew that Tony and Steve saw straight through it. "And I know you miss him with all of your heart. I'll still be around, and visit you all the time. But your dad needs you, and you need him." You kissed the top of her head, unable to look up at Steve and Tony. You knew that they had sad looks on their faces, and you couldn't bear to see them. You knew you would cry. You couldn't cry.

"But… I don't want to leave you, or Morgan, Aunt Pepper, and Uncle Tony. You… you're my family." You could hear the tears in her voice, and it brought you that much closer to crying. "I don't want to lose you."

You rested your cheek against the top of her head. "You'll never lose me, Penny. We can visit you all the time. And we will. You're part of this family, and you're stuck with us whether you like it or not." You gave her one final squeeze before leaning back to look her in the eyes. "Can you two go find Pepper? I need a moment to talk to Tony and Steve, alone."

The two girls nodded before clambering out of bed, with Tony helping Morgan down. They left the room, waving goodbye.

And then waterworks started. Everything that happened just hit you like a truck in that moment. All of the repressed emotions, all of the tears, they all just came swelling to the top like a tsunami. And they just wouldn't stop.

Losing Bucky, finding out about your mother and your weird ass powers, seeing Peggy and Daniel again, losing Nat and getting her back, and now losing Penny… it all was hitting you in the chest over and over and over again. Your heart was breaking into smaller and smaller parts as it all caught up in your mind. Each moment, each memory, kept replaying over and over again, becoming an ongoing film reel that didn't seem to have an end.

Steve and Tony just watched as you fell apart right in front of them. They knew that rock bottom was going to hit at some point, and Penny was the feather that tipped the scale. Up and down, left and right, nothing made sense anymore. Your life had always been filled with everything, so why did you feel like you had lost it all?

You finally managed to stop crying after about an hour. The boys had left the room at some point to find coffee, and had returned, patiently waiting for you to be the first one to talk. And it took you awhile. You couldn't make sense of your own brain. But you finally managed to calm down enough to talk to them.

"I feel alone, and cold." It was the first thing to leave your lips before you just word vomited over them about everything. And you meant everything. Your entire life, childhood, being in S.H.I.E.L.D., meeting Steve and everything that ever happened. It all just came out in a pure mess of chaos as you tried to make sense of it all. And they listened to the entire thing, never speaking up or trying to talk over you. Even in moments where you would fall silent, they were silent, too. And you were so thankful that they let you get it all out before finally deciding to talk. They had even gotten you a coffee, which probably didn't help with the word vomit.

Nonetheless, you finished talking eventually. And only a few seconds of silence went between you finishing your rant and Tony talking.

"Well what are you going to do?" he asked, standing up from the couch and stretching.

Your eyebrows scrunched together in confusion at his statement. "What do you mean?"

"He means, what are you going to do," Steve piped up. "It's your life. Right now the decisions are in your hand."

"Are you going to retire somewhere, be a miserable old spinstress and mourn the days of yonder?" Tony pouted at that decision. "Turn your pain into art? Turn art into pain? Or are you going to do something else?"

Steve stood up, wrapping an arm around Tony's shoulder. "We're here no matter what, of course. We always will be. But we can't be here for you if we don't know what the next step is."

You looked down at your hands. There wasn't much that you wanted that you could actually have, anymore. Still, you told them. "I want my family. I want my mom, Aunt Peggy, Uncle Daniel… I want Bucky and Penny and little Morgoona. I want my brother and the love of my life to always be there. But I can't have a lot of that. I can't have my mom, Peggy, Daniel, or Bucky. They're gone."

They both came and sat on opposite sides of the bed, both looking at you with nothing but love. "Then how do we fix that? I mean, we had a couple ideas-"

"Not we. You." Tony pointed at Steve, shaking his head. "As annoying and arrogant as you are, you can still make her happy without even trying."

"Don't sell yourself short, Tony. Afterall, you are her brother, practically." Steve looked back at you before smiling. "I do have some ideas. They're not much in the grand scheme of things, but I think you need a proper goodbye. I talked to Hank and he said he would help create enough PYM Particles for this, but I need your help in return."

"What kind of help are we talking about?" you asked, raising an eyebrow at Steve. You knew he would never put you in danger. If anything, you put yourself in danger.

He patted you on the leg, a small smirk sitting on his pretty face. "All I'm asking is that you help me return the stones to their proper homes, and we can work from there."

You agreed and, a week later, the two of you were standing on the rebuilt Quantum Tunnel in the middle of the forest. Bruce and Tony were currently watching the computer, double checking to make sure everything was okay. Tony gave you a cheeky smile before looking at Steve who was casually chatting with Bucky and Sam.

"You know this isn't goodbye, right?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest. "Come on, Stevie, we have some stones to return and messes to clean up."

"One minute," he said before looking over at Sam. There was a moment that passed between the two before Steve handed him the shield. "You know, I can't think of anyone better to carry the shield than you. How does it feel?"

Sam held the shield in his arms, almost uncertain. "Like it belongs to someone else." He gave Steve a forced smile before he looped his arms through the straps on the back. "So what gives, Rogers? Hanging up the cape already?"

Steve chuckled before looking over at you. "Nah, figured I would try some of that life Tony always talks about. Maybe one day I'll get up and kick some ass, but not as Captain America." He looked back at Sam, giving him a salute. "Captain."

You smiled softly at the scene playing out in front of you. Steve's promise to try and just have a domestic life with you was heartwarming, even if there was the implication that retirement would never truly be retirement. Then again, could you ever truly give it up either? Sure, as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, you weren't necessarily a field agent, and when it fell you were a silent observer to everything else. But now you had a taste for it.

But domestic life with Steve would be nice. You just weren't sure you'd be able to be as domestic as him. Especially when you had some new kind of powers that you needed to figure out. Maybe Wanda could help. But you knew the two of you would figure it out.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could have sworn you saw Tony roll his eyes at Steve, but you knew he was just being an ass just because he could be. You knew a part of him was happy for you and Steve, even if there would always be something about Steve that rubbed him the wrong way. They truly were a cat and dog, forced to get along through their human owner. And you really weren't sure if you were the human in this equation or the goldfish sitting on the kitchen counter. Either way, you were stuck in between them and you loved them with all of your heart.

"You done, Icicle?" Tony said, finally speaking up. "Not to cause any stress or anything. We can always not return the stones, doom those other timelines to be defenseless. Really, don't mind, but it would be quite rude, don't you think?"

Now it was Steve's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm going, relax, Tony." He joined you on the platform, giving your shoulder a small nudge with his own. "See you in a minute."

"We're going to the same place!" You have a playful shove before shaking your head. "Tony, human Bucky, Sam, Bruce… I'll actually see you in a minute."

Steve picked up Mjölnir, that had been sitting by your feet, before you two travelled back in time.

Returning most of the stones was relatively easy. 2013 Thor was, of course, confused as to why Steve was there, why he had the Aether in stone form, and why in the HELL was he carrying his hammer? But before he could ask any further questions, you were gone, returning the rest of the stones to their proper timelines.

The one stone that was probably the most awkward to return was the soul stone… primarily because the guardian of the stone was an old nazi general that Steve had known in WWII. Red Skull. It took everything in your power to keep Steve from punching him in the face.

"I know we punch nazis in the face, but right now, we have other things to worry about." You grabbed his hand, tugging him away from Red Skull. "If anything, we can find him in the future and kick his ass there." It took a lot of convincing but he finally agreed. You took the soul stone and gave it to Red Skull.

But once the last of the stones were returned, Steve grabbed your hand and started to fiddle with the GPS that was on your wrist. You raised an eyebrow, knowing he wouldn't tell you where you were going. Still, you couldn't help but be curious, trying to catch a glimpse of the date being input onto the device. As if he knew what you were doing, he leaned your wrist away from your prying eyes. You pouted but let him continue on.

When the two of you ended up back in the past, you weren't really sure where you were. You looked around, confused. "Where did we end up?" you asked as you glanced around.

Steve put an arm around your shoulder and turned you around, and then it hit you. Oh. Oh. This was your childhood home.

"Steve-"

"Come on, someone's waiting inside for you." He didn't give you time to react before he was leading you into the house. It was oddly quiet. If you had to guess, Peggy and Daniel were likely at work, so why were you here?

Your footsteps were silent as the two of you made your way over to what you remembered being your old bedroom. But there were no signs that you were even living here. No screaming. No crying. No nannies looking tired. So this was clearly pre-you. But what was the date?

Yeah, okay, you could look at the GPS on your wrist, but what was the fun in that? Plus, Steve would probably stop you from doing so.

It wasn't until you heard crying just down the hall that you had an idea. The two of you went to the door, pushing it open, and inside was a very sickly you. Only she wasn't you. It was definitely your mother. And in a crib, snoozing away, was a baby.

So that meant the baby was you.

Your heart started to beat a little faster as he walked over to the bed. Your mom looked up and a small smile sat on her face even though she had just been crying. "My Y/N…" Her voice was so quiet as you sat on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in your own. "You're so big… but just as big as I remember."

You smiled at her, giving her hand a squeeze. "And you've barely aged a day." You glanced back towards Steve to find that he had left, closing the door after him. You sighed before looking back at her. You knew you wanted to tell her everything, but you knew overwhelming her would make matters worse. Besides, at the end of the day, you needed this goodbye.

"I've been waiting for you. My glowing angel." She reached for a worn book, sitting on her nightstand. She handed it to you, a soft smile on her face. "This is for you." You smiled warmly at her. "How have you been?"

"Been okay, saved the world. Nothing major." You loved the smile that shone on her face. "Made sure that the world was safe enough for people like you. For the future generation."

Her eyes slowly fluttered shut, and your heart stopped in your chest. But she was still breathing. You had to hold onto that hope. "I'm dying, aren't I?" Her voice was quiet, shaking with fear. She managed to open her eyes just enough to gauge the broken expression on your face. She coughed before her head lolled to the side, staring at the crib. "Did you at least have a good childhood?"

"The best," you responded. "Peggy and Daniel took me in, raised me to be the person I am today. I fell in love and found the best family in the entire world. You would love them."

"Is that so?" Her voice was slowly becoming rougher as she kept talking. "Tell me about them."

You laughed before scooting closer to her. "There are so many of them. But I'll try and cover them all." You spent the next 10 minutes telling her about everyone. From Tony to Steve, Peter P. to Peter Q., there were so many names to cover. But she listened, only laughing every once in awhile when you mentioned a funny story.

She eventually fell asleep, so you got up and kissed her on the forehead. "Bye, mom. I hope you move on peacefully."

You left her room and saw Steve just chilling on one of the hallway couches, looking out over the estate. "You know, this is bigger than I expected Peg's house to be," he said before smiling at you. "I'm guessing Howard had a hand in this?"

"Howard and S.H.I.E.L.D., yeah." You sat down next to him, giving him a smile. "Thank you for this. I needed it." You glanced at the journal in your hands. "She wanted me to have this. I'll have to read it later."

"Explains why Peg and Daniel could never find it. Any way, we still have two more places to go." He looked down at your fidgeting hands before reaching out to take them. "You ready to get going? They should be home soon."

"Yeah. I think so."

The next place the two of you ended up was on the side of a busy highway, and you instantly recognized it. "We're in New York. What's here?" But then you spotted it: an open box sitting on the side of the road, beat up beyond belief. And you were going over to the box without a second's thought, looking inside. Sure enough, inside was a tiny black and white kitten curled up in a tight ball. "Bucky…"

"I figured you would want to get to say goodbye. He has always been by your side, so why not go back to that first moment?" Steve kneeled beside you, looking at the kitten with adoration. "It's still hard to think that he's gone."

You nodded, fighting tears from overspilling. Your hands were shaking as you reached down to give him a few small pets. "How long do we have before we need to go? How long until I drive by?"

"Few minutes," he responded, giving the kitten a tiny scratch under the chin. "And then we really need to leave to keep the timelines okay."

You couldn't look away from him, remembering the first day you brought him home. How sick he had been. But then he got better, so lively. Bucky had been your best friend when Steve was away. He was your rock.

You gave him another pet, which caused him to meow. You laughed before wiping away a tear. "You'll be the best cat ever, Bucky. You'll touch so many hearts in your lifetime. Love you, buddy. Couldn't have asked for anyone better, ya know?" You finally looked away from him to glance up at Steve. "Do you want to say anything?"

He seemed to ponder it for a moment before finally thinking of something. "Even when I couldn't always be there, I knew I could trust you to be there for Y/N. You'll be kind and lazy, and probably have your fair share of a coffee addiction as your mom. But you'll keep her happy when I fail. So you better be ready, because you have some big shoes to fill, soldier."

You smiled softly at his response before you reached across the box to grab his hand. "I love you. I'll probably thank you every five minutes during this but I mean it. Thank you. Where are we off to next?"

"Well, this next stop is very top secret. Only you and I can know about this one. Not even Tony. He'll obviously see where we went on the computer, but he can't know what we see." Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion but you didn't ask any questions. Rather, you let him input the times and locations into the device and made the time jump alongside him.

The final site was familiar, although you were standing fairly far away and in the tree lines. You were at Tony's lakeside cabin, though why you were there was definitely beyond you. In the distance, you could see several of the Avengers as they milled around and celebrated. But there were also some new faces that you just couldn't recognize. Who were these new heroes? Or, rather, new people?

Nat was sitting among them, but she looked a bit older. As you looked around, you noticed the running theme. No, it wasn't by dozens of years or anything, but just enough for it to definitely be noticeable. Like Peter. He had definitely lost a good portion of his baby fat, and he had an arm casually thrown around the waist of a dark-haired girl who was chatting with Shuri, T'Challa's sister. And Thor had definitely lost a good majority of the weight he had gained post-snap.

You were going to ask what was going on when a car pulled up, and a very grown up Penny walked out of the car with her dad, Bobby. She was a blossoming young adult, and just as beautiful as she had been when she hugged you and said goodbye.

And then Tony walked out of the house. He made some grand speech that you could only hear snippets of. Even when all of the partygoers were quiet, you were just too far away to notice. A pair of arms wrapped around you from behind as you watched the scene unfolding down by the lake. Everyone started to clap as suddenly you and Steve walked out of the house, each of you holding a small bundle of fabric cradled in your arms. It really didn't take a rocket scientist to know what those bundles were.

You placed a hand over your mouth to keep from crying out as happy tears sprung from your eyes. Your future self was surrounded by love and family, and filled with so much joy and happiness. No, you weren't sure how far into the future this was, but it definitely warmed your heart to see the pure bliss that you radiated when surrounded by loved ones.

"I know their names, you know," Steve said, lips brushing against your ear as he spoke. "I mean, I can guess. Blue and pink, boy and girl. Do you want to know?"

You shook your head, smiling at the scene in front of you. "I want to be surprised." You knew your mind was already guessing about a thousand names for those two twins, but you knew deep down that it didn't matter. A part of you knew their names, too. But why say it out loud when you can hold onto it for a little while longer?

Steve's lips found their way to your neck, gently peppering it was soft kisses. "I have another surprise, but it's not another trip to another point in time." His arms unwound from around you, causing you to turn around. The site in front of your eyes was heart stopping as you took it in. Steve, down on one knee, a ring in his hand.

"Steve." Your voice was breathless as your heart pounded in your chest. There were so many thoughts swirling around in your head, and so much you wanted to say, but then he started talking.

"I've wanted to ask you this ever since I first kissed you, ya know. Something about how well we worked together just told me this was the one. You're headstrong and stubborn, almost as bad as me. Yet you still ground me, and I ground you. When I lost you, I didn't know how to pick up the pieces. You were my everything, and this ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for about 7 years." A part of you was almost surprised to hear that he had held onto a ring this long, especially when you left him. You really felt like an ass, and it clearly showed on your face. "It's not your fault. I was the asshole, remember?" He gave you a cheeky grin before returning to the speech. "I've spent so much time away from you that I know I don't want to spend another second without you in my arms. So, Y/N L/N, I'm down on one knee, asking you to make me the happiest 105 year old in existence by marrying me."

"Jesus Christ, you're old." You laughed before kneeling down right in front of him. "You're older than sin, Stevie. Really, what is everyone going to say at the wedding? Clearly you're just some older celebrity in love with women half his age." You enjoyed watching the huge smile spread across his face as you took the ring from his hand, putting it on your finger. "You know, this is beautiful. But I half expected you to propose by giving me a cup of coffee. This is a bit of a let down, truly."

Steve finally broke, laughing. "Is this your way of saying yes?"

You rolled your eyes before pushing him to the ground, laying down next to him. "Of course it is. But did you expect anything less?" You turned your head to look at him, watching as he rolled onto his side to look at you.

"I love you. So much."

"Well I love you so much." You rolled over to meet him halfway. "When do we have to go back home? I imagine Tony and Bruce are probably waiting. Plus you have a new Captain to give all of the responsibilities of owning America's Ass to." He rolled his eyes and you smiled. "And we have a pair of kids to meet in the future. Can't be late for that, now can we?"

"No, I suppose we can't." He leaned over to you and pressed his lips against yours in a soft, sweet kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but it held so much in it. A promise for a better tomorrow, surrounded by loved ones and family. Your family. And you were ready for it. It would be a long journey but you had all of the right people by your side. Tony, Steve, and, most importantly, a functioning coffee machine.

--5 And A Half Years Later--

You looked out into the forest, a small smile perched on your lips as you caught a glimpse of yourself and Steve from a few years ago. The day he proposed. And the day that the two of you threw a big party for all of your friends to introduce them to the two week old twins.

Tony took your son from his hands, showing him off to a ten-year-old Morgan so she could meet one of her new cousins. And your daughter?

Well, she had been with Steve, but Steve was walking towards you and he definitely didn't have her.

"Where's 'Nora?" you asked as he came to a stop a few feet in front of you. "Last I checked, you had her."

"Her Aunt Nat wanted to get to cuddle her and be bitter that she was named after your mom and Peggy and not her." He rolled his eyes playfully before looking around. "And Danny?"

"His Uncle Tony. Morgoona wanted to get to hold him and Tony said he would take him off our hands for a few minutes." Steve's arm wound around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. You once again glanced at the forest, catching a glimpse of the two of you before you disappeared. "Well they're in for a fun night."

"Y/N," Steve said, sounding almost exasperated. But he then laughed, kissing the top of your head. "You'll be the death of me. Come on, let's go find the kids. I'm sure they've passed hands since we last saw them."

The first of the kids that you found was Danny, being held by Human Bucky.

Okay, fine, Uncle Bucky. Whatever. You knew that was his name now but you were just so used to calling him Human Bucky.

"So I see Bucky has found Bucky," you teased before sitting on the edge of the table in front of him. "How's your second namesake doing?"

"He's good," Bucky said, eyes never leaving little Danny. "Bucky Daniel. You really had to name another one after me, didn't you, Steve?"

Steve chuckled, sitting down next to his best friend. "Nonsense, he's named after the cat. The cat was much more enjoyable company."

Bucky rolled his eyes, a smirk sitting on his face. "Yeah well he's got your dumb face, Rogers, so who's the real loser here?" He gently booped your son's nose, causing him to squirm a little. But he quickly settled, enjoying the cool of Bucky's metal arm in the hot air.

And then Nat came over with Nora in her arms, a pout on her face. "Steve, Clint said I can't teach her how to fight when she's old enough. It's rude, really. A girl's first birthday present should always be a knife."

"Nat, no knives," Steve chided, but you quipped in.

"I don't see a problem with the knife. It was one of the first presents Aunt Peggy gave me when I was a kid." You shrugged casually, earning a small glare from Steve. "Hey, it's not my fault that Peg taught me right. As much shit as I give her sometimes, I know that she wanted me to be able to fend for myself."

"I'm with the chicks," Bucky added, leaning against the table as he looked up from Danny who was still cuddled into his arms. "So it seems the final vote is 3 to 2. I guess Daddy Steve and Uncle Clint are in the minority. Guess we're gifting these two their own little sets of matching knives on their first birthday."

Steve absolutely was done with all three of you at this point. He looked around, trying to find out who would help him, but he quickly realized that a lot of the people here would easily pick yours and Nat's side. If not for ideologies, then fear. The final shapedown of this fight would leave him severely in the minority. "Can we at least wait until they're old enough to use a knife without hurting themselves."

The three of you shared a look, seeming to have a silent conversation. The three of you reached a unanimous decision, nodding in unison.

"So five?" Nat asked.

"Five seems good to me," you added, taking your daughter from her outstretched arms. "Don't you agree, little Nora?" She cooed, stretching out her arms as she settled into your arms. "I think she agrees. Human Bucky?"

"Uncle Bucky," he corrected, handing Danny over to Steve. "And I think it sounds like a good idea. Our future little Avengers. Maybe they'll get some of their parents powers."

You groaned, leaning back a little as you studied Lenora's face. "God, I hope not. I don't need them opening up portals or lifting cars with ease. I think I'd actually lose it if that happened."

The group was filled with laughter. But then a voice rose up above the laughter, silencing you.

"Umm… I just want to start this out by apologizing," Peter Parker said as he came to stand on top of Tony's table. "So, I'm sorry. But, um… I sent the Younglings to take care of a small HYDRA dispute in Michigan and I thought they could handle it but it's gotten bigger. Kamala just sent a S.O.S. to me and they really need help."

You looked over at Steve as chaos definitely broke out around you. Avengers were rushing around to get their suits and stuff in order, and you definitely weren't going to sit this out. "You gonna be okay?"

"I got Nora and Danny," he said, looking over his shoulder. You followed his gaze and saw Penny and Bobby. "Besides, I'll have them, as well as Morgan. We'll be fine."

You leaned over and kissed his cheek before climbing off of the table and walking over to Penny and Bobby. "How're you two doing?"

Penny smiled, wrapping her arms around you in a hug. "Doing alright, mom. Been thinking about what I'll do after high school." She looked at Nora, who was in your arms. "Do you want me to look after her while you're gone?"

"Her and Bucky… and also Steve. Can't trust him all on his lonesome." You smiled at her before shifting Lenora into her arms. You adjusted her hold until the baby was snuggly cuddled into her arms. "Shouldn't be more than 20 minutes. Until then, she's gonna need her big sister to keep an eye out for her."

"You got it."

With that, you ran over to Tony, who was holding your nano tech gloves. "If you don't hurry, they're going to leave without us."

"Oh shut up." You rolled your eyes before putting them on and activating the nano suit to encompass your body. "Suit up, Stark. We've got some younglings to save."

The two of you took off into the sky, followed by a couple quinjets and other flying suits and tech. Even Carol had made the trip back to Earth for the party, so she was now joining in on the fight.

You gave one final glance over your shoulder at Steve as he was surrounded by several kids and Bobby. You knew he would be kept occupied, with no missing the fight. Maybe in a few years, he'd join you, but he was happy with the domestic life. You both were happy.

And that's all that mattered…

Except you totally left the coffee machine on again.

Shit.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., tell Steve I left the coffee pot on and that he should probably make sure everything is okay," you said.

"Okay. Activating Tell The Husband That You're A Forgetful Fiend and Want To Burn The House Down," she said, and you instantly turned to look at Tony who was flying beside you.

"Did you really rename the protocols on my suit? Really?"

You could hear the laugh in his voice. "Revenge for the Battle of 2023."

You were nearly floored, and almost fell out of the sky from shock. But you regained your balance, casting a glance over at him. "This has been 5 years in the making? Seriously?"

"What can I say, I'm in it for the long haul."

You shook your head, a smile on your lips. Then you spotted Sam, flying a little bit ahead of the two of you. "Hey Cap!" you called as you started to gain ground on him.

He briefly looked behind to see you coming up on his left. "Rogers, if you say it, I swear we are turning this whole mission around," he warned, but it was too late as you were soaring past him.

"On your left!"

He groaned, shaking his head. "You and your husband are equally as annoying."

You laughed before falling back to fly alongside Sam and Tony. This was your family. The quinjets full of heroes. The flying heroes that were soaring alongside. The people stuck at home, unable or unwilling to fight. All of them were yours. Very dysfunctional. But it was all yours.

Yep. All yours.

----

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